It’s hard to find time
It’s been ten days since my last post. Mountain Whispers involves working all over town, so not being just based in the studio, it’s hard to find the time to sit at the laptop to reflect; there is always something you can only do here and not at home. However, you’re reflecting all the time and processing a lot of information and experiences. Life here is very, very busy, with maximum levels of stimulation.
The four weeks are speeding by and already I wish I had more time here. Everything is set up, in order that you can totally focus on your work. Bedrooms are cleaned daily, the dining room means there’s no shopping to get, no food to cook. People are working everywhere and all hours of the day as it’s a 24hr studio. It’s really intense but that’s something we all seem to share, regardless of discipline. I’m just in that place, where you are having a really intense relationship with your work, to the exclusion of everything else.
RESOURCES IN BANFF TOWN
My work has a history focus and so I’ve been spending some time at the Whyte Museum‘s archives. The staff are very helpful, and the collection is very accessible. Amazing photography collection.
The Banff Parks Museum (which is just a great museum of taxidermy) had closed to the public for the season. However, after contacting the curator, he generously opened for me, and even opened some of the cabinets for me (with extremely delicate exhibits) so I didn’t have to photograph through glass. I couldn’t imagine this happening at home.
I haven’t yet been to the First Nations Museum but one of the artists here (Lisamarie Johnson) seems to have spent most of her three week residency with the Stony People who live close by. I’m trying to find out more about them.
VISUAL ARTS RESIDENCIES: Independent & Thematic
It’s only by being here that I’ve realised the true difference between the two main residencies on offer, I’m talking specifically about the two different visual arts residencies. BAIR (Banff Artist In Residence) artists function within an independent study programme. What that means is, that you are provided with space and facilities but not direct tuition, seminars, lectures or critical debate from faculty; they facilitate. This is different from the Thematic Residencies, where the residency faculty do engage directly with artists, through critical engagement, seminars, etc.
I can only offer observations on the current one but there’s a lot of structure, events and interactions. From my perspective as a BAIR artist, it’s rather intense, but the artists I’ve spoken to seem to be getting a lot out of it. I think that if you choose the right thematic residency it would be a really positive experience.
OTHER ARTISTS HERE ON RESIDENCY
I’ve spoken to several other artists about contributing to this blog later in the process but here is a short summary of some of the artists I’ve been spending time with and primarily why they’ve come here. For some it’s about facilities, others time, and others being around other artists.
BAIR residency:
Katherine (Canadian) — a glass-worker/caster who wanted to experiment with carving transparent stone.
Caroline (British) — a sculpture working in ceramic, she’s just graduated from Brighton and heard great things about the Banff Centre from her tutor.
Rosario (Argentinean) — a painter, knew another artist back home who recommended it the residency after doing it themselves. She specifically come for the artist interaction, to be around other artists.
Jane & Tyler, — sisters and sculptors (USA) wanted to do some new exploratory work together, away from the distractions of everyday life, within an environment of strong creative energy.
Thematic (24 Experimental Comedy Training Camp) residency:
Briony (British) — visual artist who wanted to explore what comedy and art combined together had to offer. Not something offered anywhere else, she researched the faculty and was inspired by the work they’d done before.
Lee (British) — currently doing a PhD, is exploring the theory around ‘experimental’ comedy and how it is applied to his current artistic practice as research.
