Apr – Dec 2021
Morrow’s first program of paid residences, Sojourn was an opportunity for thirteen artists to delve into creative practice – in the thick of the pandemic when usual activities were shuttered. Artists who displayed and sold their material creations in Morrow’s Gallery received an artist fee of $1,500 – $2,100, plus a week of open space to dream, work and play – often experimenting across forms.
Video Artist Jessica Han
Critical Response Process Facilitator Joyce Rosario
Host Shana Wolfe
“I experimented with scoring music for a silent film. It was my first time engaging in this exercise and the opportunity to have time exploring this new direction in composing music was inspiring and fruitful.”
“I brought Ankara fabric and a sewing machine to create masks and accessories that source my Ghanaian roots. People were invited to drop by to witness, and I was able to share my personal inspiration story behind the art that I make. I am acutely aware of the lack of supportive and intentional creative spaces and am thankful there are spaces like Morrow that offer BIPOC creatives a space to create, work and showcase the diversity of Vancouver’s local artists.”
“I explored and developed my painting and drawing practices at Morrow. I found a space separate from home during this pandemic that safely nurtured my creativity. It was a rare gift, spending this residency exploring how the experience of movement/dance within my own body influences how and what I paint. I experimented with abstracting and amplifying the anatomy of humans, animals and other watery bodies. Sojourn was the first time I worked with live models, reinterpreting the 'odds' and ends of their bodies through watercolour and ink.”
“I worked on scoring a composition for dance artist Jeanette Kotowich. I also researched other seeds of work and created a few mobiles out of my ceramic instruments.“
“I dove into movement research for my project Flow Tide, a duet in collaboration with local Japanese calligraphy artist Kisyuu. First created in Summer 2020 as a short film, I revised ideas from the film version of Flow Tide into a live performance that further explored the relationship between movement and the traditional art of Japanese calligraphy. My residence explored how calligraphy tools and the lasting, visual shapes on paper created by sumi ink influenced and interfered with embodied impulses, and how it overlapped with a meditative and task-based approach to choreography.“
“I worked on a quilt-like sculpture using paper-making techniques made with locally gathered plants and green waste, recycled textiles, and found objects. These projects guide my reflections on land use, collaboration, cultural catharsis, waste, adhoc constructions and the nature of manual labour. To honour the important role that a space like Morrow is offering to the creative community, a few guests came to the space to view and have conversations with me about my work and process.”
Jackson’s residence was in close collaboration with his son Sammy Chien. They interacted with dance and media artists and produced many paintings as well as live-stream events that shared their work with the greater community. They worked with guest dance artists Caroline MacCaull, Juolin Lee and Junjie Wang. They also worked with Joyce Rosario via Critical Response Process.
“I painted the auras of dance artists Emmalena Fredikkson, Alyssa Amarshi and of Taiko Artist Anny Lin. The process involved a general reading about the energy and the colours that surround these colleagues. Afterwards, I danced at Morrow, with heightened awareness of my own aura and the energy that fills the space.”
“I nurtured a new collaboration with my older brother, Miles Wong and his partner, Elysse Cloma, who are musicians and DJs. We researched the combination of music and dance within improvisation scores that explored our artistic identities as members of the Asian diaspora. I was curious to explore working together in an artistic context that might morph our family dynamics and open space for us to find new ways to communicate, find agency, and express vulnerability. We also worked with Joyce Rosario who facilitated Critical Response Process and this was a wonderful experience!“
“I filmed a segment of a music video for LA-based band Media Jeweller and also workshopped some of my own music and video ideas. I have spent time in maybe maximum 3 spaces for since the onset of the pandemic, so the opportunity to work in another space was very inspiring for me. As a musician during covid, it was rare to get the opportunity to work outside of my own practice space and this residence inspired fresh and new ideas.”
Huge Thanks to Vines Arts Festival for partnering with us to support the work of Peyton Straker and Manuel Axel Strain, through offsite residence funds towards their participation in Vines' 2021 Resilient Roots Program.
“I began the creation of a solo with felted sculptures of parts of the human body that I believe we sexualize, fetishize or feminize through compulsory conditioning. I explore objectification and absurdity using these props for research. On my final day of residence I held intimate one-on-one performances. These seeds of research have inspired me to keep working on the piece and to develop it for performance and production.”
