Stratigraphy: Landscape Imprints Alex R.M. Thompson
The installation employs printmaking techniques to create a visually spectacular experience through a composite of acrylic, reflective panels (mirrors), and light. The work references a succession of rock layers, where at each level lies a context that embodies geographic artifacts or natural events and historical human practices. The sculpture, floating like a crystal chandelier, captures the viewer’s image and reflects it onto an ephemeral 3 dimensional map of Toronto’s landscape and histories that are engraved on the panels. These acrylic and reflective panels together with theatrical lighting act as a blank slate on which personal histories of every occupant of the space can be enacted. The work challenges the notion of obsolescence folding past (the panels), present (the reflection), and future (the reimagined vision) into one instant of interaction.
The artist would like to acknowledge funding support from the Ontario Arts Council, an agency of the Government of Ontario.
About the Artist
Alex R.M. Thompson uses drawing, copperplate etching, and sculptures to explore the relationship between personal identities and their surroundings.
Documentation by Leslie Leach & Alex R.M. Thompson