Keillor Point: Wandering at the End of the World
Mixed media installation by Brenda Philp and Jesse Thomas
Opening Reception:
January 19, noon – 5:00pm
Exhibition open:
January 16 – February 1, 2024
in the Sound Studies Institute Gallery
3-47 Arts Building
Keillor Point: Wandering at the End of the World is a collaboration between artists Brenda Philp and Jesse Thomas. It incorporates elements of sculpture, painting, and sound to present an immersive artwork about Edmonton’s amazing North Saskatchewan River Valley, specifically the stretch of forest, ravine, and river bank located beneath Keillor Point, formerly known as The End of the World.
The ideas for Keillor Point grew from a friendship formed by our dogs’ special bond, stemming from daily walks in and around the ravine adjacent to our neighborhood: a deep appreciation of that landscape, and the spectacular beauty of its constantly shifting form. From gradual seasonal changes to the daily atmospheric particulars shaping sound and vision, so many elements come together in this revered place.
The North Saskatchewan River has carved out a meandering path through the long, gently rolling prairies. Its floodplains and cliffs form a riparian landscape supporting diverse life, ravine- laced with veins of small waterways, thin sedimentary layers of ash recording volcanic events, and tiny specks and pebbles of gold. In passage through familiar and emergent landmarks, the oceanic whisper of gravels and sun- baked clays, slopes cracking to spill fine particulate curtains of coal and iron.
In Keillor Point: Wandering at the End of the World, the central sculptural element is fused and braided with dyes derived from the ravine; gathered leaves and berries, stones to infuse the forms with colour and pigment drawn from the valley itself, holding the essence of it.
Brenda Philp is a Canadian artist who lives and works in Edmonton, Alberta. She studied Fibre Art at the Haliburton School of Art and Design in 2017, and attended an Artist Residency at the Icelandic Textile Center in 2019. Her work has been exhibited locally at the Alberta Craft Council, ACUA Gallery, The Blue Chair, Edmonton Public Library, and internationally at the Icelandic Textile Center. Current pursuits include creating a work for the Piece for Peace Project presented by India Flint at the School of Nomad Arts, and preparing for an upcoming group exhibition in Edmonton which will feature art created from found objects.
Jesse Thomas received an MFA in Painting from Washington University in Saint Louis in 2003 and a BFA in Painting and Drawing from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago in 1993. Current projects include a collaboration with Moment Research in Edmonton exploring painting, sound, interactive projections, and programmable, coloured light. Recent projects include Entourer, an immersive multimedia artwork installed at the New Orleans Jazz Museum in honor of the tricentennial anniversary of that city’s founding. His 2016 solo exhibition at the Zhengzhou University of Light Industry in China consisted of 50 works representing the past 5 years of his studio production. Previous solo exhibitions of his work have been held in Edmonton, St Louis, Chicago, San Francisco, New Orleans, and Berlin. He is currently Associate Professor in the Department of Art and Design at the University of Alberta.
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