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Jennifer Stillwell Collisions 2007 Installation view Courtesy of Pari Nadimi Gallery |
LS: This might seem silly, but is there a hidden performance aspect to some of these works, like Brain Freeze or Range?
JS: I wouldn't call it a performance, more a process. I was sharing a studio with a friend of mine and she’s pretty much a Slurpee addict, and that’s rubbed off on me. And Winnipeg’s proud to be Slurpee consumption capital of the world. One of the attributes of our urban landscape is that these things are littered everywhere. So when I was asked to create a piece for the Plug In, I started gathering these in a more amplified way. It took about a year altogether.
LS: Kokanee is a Western Canadian beverage as well. I don’t think that beer is widely available east of Winnipeg.
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Jennifer Stillwell Range 2008 Installation view detail Courtesy of Pari Nadimi Gallery / photo Jennifer Stillwell |
JS: Really? I guess it is a Western Canadian thing. With Range, part of the process was just being at a bonfire this summer and peeling the labels so that it framed the mountain. That stuck in my head for a while.
LS: Speaking in a different way about place: You did a master’s in Chicago and have shown at some prestigious American galleries. How do you feel about being back in Canada?
JS: Well, I’ve been back in Winnipeg about eight years since I took my master’s. And part of the reasoning in coming back here was that I knew the economy of Winnipeg allows an artist to work part-time and do their own research the rest of the time. The cost of living in the States is more expensive; if you’re not selling work you’re working at a job full-time.
I also knew I could come back to Winnipeg and have support through research funding and that’s one thing I really appreciate; it allows experimentation. I do like Winnipeg as a home base; it’s a good place. I’m even working on a public art commission. Overall, I’ve embraced the city as a site where I can create a dialogue about contemporary art.
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Jennifer Stillwell Range 2008 Installation view Courtesy of Pari Nadimi Gallery / photo Jennifer Stillwell |
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