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ARCHITECT OF
THE COSMIC MIND
By
Laura Hollick
March 17 – 23, 2005
Secrets and knowledge are two opposing yet
complementary forces in our universe. We think
we know so much, but the more we know the more
we realize there is an endless vault of mystery.
How can we even begin to tackle the grand task
of unlocking our world?
Artist Laurie Kilgour has been busy creating
box–like assemblages that dissect the ‘Secrets
and Knowledge’ of our universe; this is also the
title of one of her pieces in her solo
exhibition at Transit Gallery, entitled Sanctum.
“Sanctum means a sacred or holy place,” Kilgour
explains. She goes on to note, “the work is an
expression of my personal spirituality, my own
seeking to understand my place in the universe.”
The work is much bigger than her own personal
quest, however. While that may feed her desire
to create these magical wonders, the work itself
offers clues and subliminal insights into what
makes the universe tick. “I have come to realize
that my work is really a lot about cycles, the
passage of time, of the seasons, of life from
birth to death to rebirth,” the artist says, but
she also admits that she, herself, doesn’t
always understand what the exact translation is
for each piece. “The work feels very intuitive,
I have not sorted out a formal translatable
language for each object, although there are a
lot of repeated elements.” If you speak
English, you might often try to look at
everything and translate its meaning into
English—but this can be a mistake. The universe
existed before there was English, so there is an
entire language and communication system
whispering through the wind speaking a cosmic
tongue.
The universe holds secrets as well answers; if
only we could speak its language, we could know
everything. For Kilgour, nature bridges the
translation gap in an attempt to understand the
cosmic tongue. Her inquisitive investigations of
nature are organized into neat,
compartmentalized boxes and altar–like
stands. Within each structure there is an entire
web of symbols and sacred stories. “My work is
about the sacred nature of nature,” she notes.
“It looks back to ancient times when people
lived in communion with their spaces and
worshipped the world around them as sacred.”
“Trinity” is the name of one of the smaller
pieces in the show. A butterfly rests central in
the box, with a nest and egg incubating on the
bottom shelf and a bone hanging above. It seems
to suggest the three stages of nature, through
life, death and transformation or rebirth. Using
a title like “Trinity” also makes a religious
association, a connection that the artist does
not deny. “I have made intentional reference to
this religious framework in order to capture
that feeling of reverence and mystery that many
people may more easily associate to churches,”
she explains, adding that “this series can be
seen as markers or shrines meant to make real
those unconscious energies.” The artist speaks
of the universe’s energies that are permeating
everything. Her pieces map the quest to
understand the alchemical process of life.
Sanctum is a solid body of work that clearly
gifts us with insights into the ways of the
universe. Showing us the sacred within the
everyday. A leaf hanging from a branch has
something to teach, as does the rusting piece of
metal that provides a perch for an insect.
“There is magic in everyday things, and my work
seeks to bring the magic into plain sight,”
Kilgour says. Rather than taking a course in
English as a second language, how about signing
up for Cosmic Tongue 101, with the art of Laurie
Kilgour leading the lesson? V
LAURIE KILGOUR
Sanctum
TRANSIT GALLERY
230 Locke St. S.
905.522.1299
Show runs through March 27
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