A display of suspended sculptures by Chilliwack artist Sylvie Roussel-Janssens will light up the lobby of the ACT in Maple Ridge this summer.
The series of aquatically inspired works will be hung in the main windows, where the natural light will illuminate these opaque, two-dimensional suspended pieces, each a representation of a local lake.
“How Deep is your Lake is inspired by the beauty and fragility of our aquatic environment,” says Roussel-Janssens.
“My sculptural installation art practice is concerned with history and the environment and, for this project I am looking at a total of six lakes in British Columbia. My goal is to create large images that are abstract when seen from a distance, but full of accurately detailed geographic references when viewed in close proximity.”
In choosing lakes as her subject for this series, Roussel-Janssens charts and combines tangible landscapes with abstract, symmetrical imagery.
This presentation arises initially from her preoccupation with mapping local B.C. territory. To begin her process, she photocopies enlarged ‘bathymetric’ (depth) maps onto acetate, sews them onto polyester fabric, then suspends each piece within large approximately 80” by 60” metal frames.
Roussel-Janssens is also attracted to the purely visual perspective offered by the enhanced map renderings on which her work is based, and she deliberately chooses bodies of water that lend themselves to the pleasing mirror-image symmetry that is featured throughout this series.
Those who frequent The Maple Ridge Art Gallery may recall the stunning window pieces that Roussel-Janssens created when she participated in the Women Who Work with Metal exhibition that was featured last October.
A fuller representation of the series How Deep is Your Lake will be at the art gallery until September 15.
Art Crawl
Downtown Maple Ridge businesses will be hosting art by local artists July 16–28.
Visit all participating businesses, receive a stamp on your passport, and enter for a chance to win art created by a local artist.
Look for the red stop sign marking each participating Art Crawl business and visit downtownmapleridge.ca to download a passport.