Category: Oxygen Art Centre

 BRIAN LYE EXHIBITION OPENS AT OXYGEN ART CENTRE 20 FEBRUARY 2021

ABOVE ABOVE BELOW BELOW

Exhibition: 20 February – 20 March 2021

By appointment only

Oxygen Art Centre welcomed Brian Lye as Artist-in-Residence throughout December and January where he created works for the exhibition ABOVE ABOVE BELOW BELOW, on view from 20 February – 20 March 2021.

Lye is an internationally renowned filmmaker, artist, and educator who lives and works in Nelson, BC. His practice is focused in analogue film production, merging the everyday with formal experimentations in play, special effects, and psychogeography.

Lye’s current body of work begins with crystals. Having conducted research for an experimental documentary on crystalline minerals across scientific, mining, and healing fields, Lye investigates the human and natural relation to crystals through discussion-based research. Interviewing experts on crystals from the region forms the foundational material for Lye’s experiments in 16mm analogue film.

Fascinated by the semiprecious stones and their capacity for transmission, amplification, and new age applications, Lye draws upon his background in filmmaking and installation to create an immersive body of work on view in the exhibition, ABOVE ABOVE BELOW BELOW.

During his residency Lye experimented with traditional 16mm film titling techniques, growing crystals, developing film, and creating a series of projection installations. Updates from the residency were posted on Oxygen’s social media channels. The resultant works will be on view from 20 February – 20 March 2021 at the Centre Thursdays – Saturdays between 1:00 – 5:00 PM by appointment only. *Please contact us if you would prefer to book an online tour appointment*

Due to the ongoing pandemic Oxygen Art Centre will be welcoming individuals and groups (up to 6, same household) to visit the exhibition by creating an appointment, below. Visitors will be greeted by a projectionist who will assist in the presentation of the 16mm film installations. Appointments run up to 20 minutes each to allow for cleaning of the space before and afterwards. Visitors are required to comply with and review Oxygen’s COVID-19 prevention protocols prior to their appointment.

We are committed to reducing the spread of COVID-19 in our community and thank you in advance for your continued support. If you would like to plan ahead for your visit, make an appointment to view the exhibition, or learn more about our cleaning and prevention protocols, please click here and/or contact us.

ABOVE ABOVE BELOW BELOW opens on Saturday, February 20, 2021 and runs until Saturday, March 20, 2021, by appointment only. To make an appointment, visit Oxygen’s website or contact us at info@oxygenartcentre.ord for more information.

Artist Bio:

 

Brian Lye

https://www.brianlye.com/

 

Brian Lye is a filmmaker and visual artist from Vancouver, Canada, now based in Nelson. His lens-based works are preoccupied with magic, humour, and the everyday. He holds a BA in Film Studies and Japanese Studies from the University of Victoria, a Diploma in Screen Production from Sydney Film School, was a guest student at The Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, and recently completed a Master of Fine Arts degree in visual art from The University of British Columbia.  His films and animations have won awards and screened internationally at venues such as Sundance Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, The Contemporary Culture Centre of Barcelona, and LIVE! Vancouver’s performance art biennale. He has been an artist in residence with the Klondike Institute for Art and Culture and the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.

 

Image Credit: Image courtesy Brian Lye, Residency documentation (Amethyst in hand as 3378 bucket processed negative. Tungsten + Daylight tests. In caffenol), 2021

OKANAGAN AUTHORS HANNAH CALDER AND MICHAEL V. SMITH READ VIRTUALLY JAN. 27 FOR NELSON, B.C.’s OXYGEN ART CENTRE
 

 
The focus is on writers from B.C.’s Okanagan Valley for the second Zoom reading event in the 2021 Author Reading Series presented by Nelson, B.C.’s Oxygen Art Centre. Reading from and talking about their work on Wed., Jan. 27 will be Vernon fiction writer and poet Hannah Calder, and Kelowna writer, performer, and filmmaker, Michael V. Smith.
The event begins at 7 p.m. Those interested in attending the event need to R.S.V.P. by emailing info@oxygenartcentre.org. Attendees will receive the Zoom link and accompanying event information once they R.S.V.P. The event is free and everyone welcome to attend. Donations are encouraged: $2 – $5 via Oxygen’s CanadaHelps page.
Calder has published two novels, most recently Piranesi’s Figures from New Star Books in 2016. She has also published poetry and short fiction in various literary journals. Born and raised in Great Britain, she now teaches English and writing for Okanagan College.
Smith’s books include Bad Ideas, a 2017 collection of poems from Nightwood Editions, and the memoir My Body is Yours, from Pulp Press in 2015. His films include the 2019 NFB short documentary, The Hook Up, about gay men from different generations. As a drag artist and clown he has presented at many cabarets and festivals, including the Vancouver Fringe Festival, the Vancouver Comedy Festival, and internationally in the Netherlands and Germany. He teaches in the Creative Studies Department of UBC’s Okanagan campus.
A short film featuring Calder and Smith, accompanied by a piece on addiction by the latter, is available on Oxygen’s website. Forthcoming author readings in the 2020-2021 series include memoirists Kate Braid from Victoria and Vera Maloff from the West Kootenay’s Shoreacres on Feb. 24, and UBC Okanagan author Matt Rader along with students from Selkirk College’s creative writing courses on March 24. Alongside the virtual events, the Author Reading Series presents W. Mark Giles’s Making Light: Pandemic Winter, a digital presentation of daily haiku poems available on Oxygen’s website and social media channels.
The Author Reading Series is supported in part by the B.C. Arts Council and the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance, and is co-sponsored by Nelson’s Elephant Mountain Literary Festival.
 
 
Contact: Julia Prudhomme
Executive Director, Oxygen Art Centre
info@oxygenartcentre.org, 250-352-6322
CUTLINES: Hannah Calder (L), Michael V. Smith (R), Images Courtesy the Authors
CUTLINES (Below): Author Reading Series poster for January 2021 virtual event

Julia Prudhomme
Executive Director / oxygen art centre
info@oxygenartcentre.org
www.oxygenartcentre.org
#3 – 320 Vernon St. Alley Entrance.
Nelson, British Columbia
(1) 250-352-6322
 
Preview YouTube video The Hook Up
The Hook Up
 

Oxygen Adult Education 2021 Art Courses Begin in February
 

 
Oxygen Art Centre launches ten new courses scheduled for 2021 with a rich plethora of experiences waiting to be had! Dive into poetry, dabble in painting, cut and paste (old style) with collage, be consumed by colour theory, channel your inner fashion designer, or discover the diversity of sound-based inquiry.
“Oxygen feels incredibly fortunate to have such a skilled and creative faculty,” says Education Coordinator Natasha Smith. “Our Instructors have once again proposed a rich, unique collection of courses for 2021. They teach what they love, drawing on their unique experiences and research, I think that’s what makes Oxygen courses so special,” says Smith.
 
In February discover painting over a series of four sessions in Beginners Brush 1 and develop an eye for the sometimes subtle and always dynamic nature of colour in an Introduction to Colour Theory, both instructed by the talented Deborah Thompson before she heads to Alert Bay for an artist residency in March.
 
Natasha Smith is offering online collage and painting courses in 2021 including, Mapping Memory: Collaging a Personal History, where students will cut, paste and map personal memories and share personal experiences, histories, and stories visually, and Abstract Collage Painting, which explores how to use physical textures and build complex, intricate abstract designs on wooden panels.
 
Starting later in February learn the elements of fashion design and wearable art with designer, curator, and entrepreneur, Seathra Bell in Designing for Fashion and Wearable Art held over three classes online. In Sonic Imaginaries 2: Voice, Performance and Creative Composition interdisciplinary artist, prOphecy sun will uncover the diverse ways sound is implemented as a creative expression in contemporary art practices, installations, soundwalks, public art, theatre, live performance and musical production.
 
April is Poetry Month and Oxygen is celebrating! Instructor Rayya Liebich will help demystify reading and writing poetry. “Delight in language play, have fun creating poems collaboratively, and most importantly discover that poetry is a gift for everyone,” says Rayya, who is offering three different writing classes online, which include: Be Not Afeard: A Poetry Workshop for Beginners; Tapping the Poetic Unconscious; and, April Poetry Challenge: 30 Days, 30 Poems!  In addition to Leibich’s classes, Reading and Writing Rilke with Susan Andrews Grace will employ a close reading of Rainer Marie Rilke’s poetry as inception for the participants’ own composition. The exploration of sound, rhythm, image, and mystery/soul in Rilke will take place over four online classes.
 
During these difficult COVID times we are all missing spending time with our friends and family, so take an online course together! Oxygen is now offering a 10% discount for bringing a friend to any of our art classes. Or, if you prefer, you could give the gift of creativity with the new Oxygen Education Gift Certificates, available for purchase online.
 
For more information and to register: www.oxygenartcentre.org,  education@oxygenartcentre.org.
 
 
 
 
 
 

Share the Gift of Creativity this Season! Oxygen Adult Education 2021 Semester Lineup Launched, Gift Cards and Bring a Friend!

Give the gift of creativity this year! An Oxygen GiftCertificate is the perfect gift for the creative in your life and it is so much more than an educational experience! Taking a creative class can help build social connections, reduce anxiety and stress, create meaningful memories and exercise an enquiring mind! With ten new courses scheduled for 2021 there is a great variety to choose from with poetry, painting, collage, colour theory, wearable art and sound-based inquiry.
“Online courses are a great addition to Oxygen’s education programming” says Education Coordinator Natasha Smith. “Our instructors have created classes to be specifically taught online, utilizing the many tools that we now have available to make this learning experience rewarding, interactive and convenient for our students. We now have students joining us from across the country and courses are filling fast” says Smith.
 
Bring a Friend is another new Oxygen initiative. During these difficult COVID times we are all missing spending time with our friends and family, so Oxygen is encouraging you to take a course together by offering a 10% bring-a-friend discount!
 
For more information on courses, Oxygen Gift Certificates, Bring a Friend and to register: www.oxygenartcentre.org,  education@oxygenartcentre.org.
 
 
 
Image credit: Courtesy Instructor Rayya Liebich, 2020
 
Press Contact: Natasha Smith, education@oxygenartcentre.org

OXYGEN WELCOMES ARTIST-IN-RESIDENCE BRIAN LYE

 

Residency: 1 – 30 December 2020

Exhibition: 6 – 30 January 2021

Oxygen Art Centre is pleased to announce Brian Lye as Artist-in-Residence throughout the month of December. Lye is an internationally renowned filmmaker, artist, and educator who lives and works in Nelson, BC. His practice is focused in analogue film production, merging the everyday with formal experimentations in play, special effects, and psychogeography.

Lye’s current body of work begins with crystals. Having conducted research for an experimental documentary on crystalline minerals across scientific, mining, and healing fields, Lye investigates the human and natural relation to crystals through discussion-based research. Interviewing experts on crystals from the region forms the foundational material for Lye’s experiments in 16mm analogue film throughout the residency.

Fascinated by the semiprecious stones and their capacity for transmission, amplification, and new age applications, Lye draws upon his background in filmmaking and installation to create an immersive body of work. During his residency Lye will experiment with traditional 16mm film titling techniques, growing crystals, developing film, and creating a series of projection installations for exhibition.

The residency has been slightly augmented due to the pandemic to ensure the safety of the artists and community. Therefore, all events and updates related to the residency will take place online for the time being.

Lye’s residency runs from 1 – 30 December 2020. Stay tuned for more information and updates about the residency, artist talk, and forthcoming exhibition by visiting Oxygen Art Centre’s social media channels and website.

Brian Lye will also present an exhibition at Oxygen Art Centre following his residency. The exhibition will be on view from 6 – 30 January 2021 during hours of operation, Wednesdays to Saturdays from 1:00pm to 5:00pm. Information about Oxygen’s pandemic related protocols will be available to visitors on site, as well as on our website and social media channels.

Artist Bio:

 

Brian Lye

https://www.brianlye.com/

 

Brian Lye is a filmmaker and visual artist from Vancouver, Canada, now based in Nelson. His lens-based works are preoccupied with magic, humour, and the everyday. He holds a BA in Film Studies and Japanese Studies from the University of Victoria, a Diploma in Screen Production from Sydney Film School, was a guest student at The Film and TV School of the Academy of Performing Arts in Prague, and recently completed a Master of Fine Arts degree in visual art from The University of British Columbia.  His films and animations have won awards and screened internationally at venues such as Sundance Film Festival, Melbourne International Film Festival, The Contemporary Culture Centre of Barcelona, and LIVE! Vancouver’s performance art biennale. He has been an artist in residence with the Klondike Institute for Art and Culture and the Vancouver Board of Parks and Recreation.

 

Image Credit: Image courtesy Brian Lye, Remote filming on 16mm, 2020

OXYGEN HOSTS VIRTUAL AUTHOR READING SERIES ON NOV. 18TH 

 
 

Author Reading Series

Wednesday, November 18, 2020
7:00 PM
Zoom
Free/ by donation
R.S.V.P. required

            Famed Vancouver fiction and nonfiction writer Timothy Taylor, and Slocan Valley author Fletcher FitzGibbon will read from and talk about their writing online on Wed., Nov. 18 as the Zoom continuation of the “Home and Away” author reading series co-presented by Nelson, B.C.’s Oxygen Art Centre and Elephant Mountain Literary Festival.

            The event begins at 7 p.m. Those interested in attending the event need to R.S.V.P. by emailing info@oxygenartcentre.org. Attendees will receive the Zoom link and accompanying event information once they R.S.V.P. The event is free and everyone welcome to attend. Donations are encouraged: $2 – $5 via Oxygen’s CanadaHelps page.

Oxygen, at 320 Vernon St. (alley entrance), is the city’s only artist-run centre. The Nov. 18 event was originally scheduled last March as an in-person event, part of a series pairing a Kootenay author with one from elsewhere. This virtual event reinstates the series online. A Q & A session at the November event will offer the chance for reading attendees to interact with the featured writers.

            A short story by Taylor, who currently teaches writing at UBC, won the 2000 Journey Prize. His first novel, Stanley Park (2001), was shortlisted for the Giller Prize and the Rogers Writers’ Trust Fiction Prize, and was chosen as the 2004 title for One Book, One Vancouver. The novel was a contender in CBC’s 2007 Canada Reads competition.

            His most recent titles include the novel The Rule of Stephens (2018) and a food memoir, Foodville: Biting Dispatches from a Food-Obsessed City (2014). The Toronto Star said of The Rule of Stephens that “Taylor has composed a tightly-crafted, suspenseful story, and one that smartly plays off the disjunction between the rational world of Stephen Hawking and the ‘lower and darker land’ of Stephen King.”

            The National Post called Foodville “a fun take-down of our obsession with food and the next new thing. He takes to task those who describe dishes with ridiculous superlatives by simply asking ‘Really?’ Is that restaurant really ‘a national treasure’? Was it really ‘a transcendent food experience?’”

            FitzGibbon is perhaps Canada’s only author who is also a practicing Chartered Professional Accountant. He was a prize-winner in Kootenay Mountain Culture magazine’s 2016 fiction contest, co-founded the Nelson Writers’ Salon, and has acted in community theatre and performed as a storyteller to a range of audiences. He recently published a chapbook, A Field Guide to Dream Data—a combination poetry collection and how-to guide for collecting information on your dreams.

He describes his writing as aiming “to reconcile his experiences in the fast-paced realm of business and his appreciation and admiration of the natural world.”

            The Nov. 18 author reading series is supported in part by the B.C. Arts Council and the Columbia Kootenay Cultural Alliance, and co-sponsored by Nelson’s Elephant Mountain Literary Festival.

CUTLINES: Author Reading Series poster (above); Timothy Taylor, Fletcher FitzGibbon (below)