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karen elaine spencer


Artist Residency


August 3 to September 12, 2011

Performance on September 11

karen elaine spencer obtained her BFA from NSCAD in 1986 and an MFA from Université du Québec à Montréal in 2001. Her work questions the hierarchy inherent in use values and investigates how we, as transient beings, occupy the world we live in. The widely held belief in a linear movement forward, or “progress”, is confronted through her repetition of actions that lead nowhere. Rambling, dreaming, loitering and riding the metro are all activities spencer has previously undertaken as part of her practice. Actions are sustained over time (often a year or more) rendering her artistic practice indistinguishable from her daily life. She works with what is near at hand, materials that speak of our day-to-day existence: cardboard, oranges, bread, chalk. Through a détournement of materials or intentions spencer intervenes into spaces; hoping to shift, even if only ever so slightly, our perceptions of what is possible. http://likewritingwithwater.wordpress.com

Video: http://vimeo.com/28966372 This video is a document of karen’s spoken word piece entitled Home Less, performed in front of a small crowd at John Snow House, where she was in residence from August 3 to September 12. Introduction by John Snow House Director, Shara Rosko.

The larger event was a combined book launch for karen’s porteur de rêves / dream listener book, published by Sagamie, and for MST 5, a publication celebrating the 5th incarnation of Mountain Standard Time Performative Art Festival in 2010 as well as highlighting the rich roots of performative art in Calgary. mstfestival.org/

Bio

karen elaine spencer is an artist who maintains a studio practice, performs, curates and writes. Her work questions the hierarchy inherent in use values and investigates how we, as transient beings, occupy the world we live in. The belief in a linear movement forward, or progress, is confronted through the repetition of an action that leads nowhere. rambling, dreaming, loitering and riding the metro are all activities karen has undertaken as part of her practice. An action is sustained over time (often a year) enabling a process whereby karen’s artistic practice is indistinguishable from her daily life. She works with what is near at hand, materials that speak of our day-to-day existence: cardboard, oranges, bread, chalk. through a détournement of materials or intentions, karen intervenes into spaces; hoping to shift, ever so slightly, perceptions of what is possible. likewritingwithwater.wordpress.com

karen wishes to acknowledge the support of the Conseil des arts et des lettres du Québec who have made her TNG residency possible.