Carleton University Art Gallery is displaying several works by Sobey Art Award-winning duo Daniel Young and Christian Giroux.
The artists sat down for a public conversation with exhibit curator Diana Nemiroff Sept. 17. The exhibit, Y & G #12 (curtain walls), officially opened the day before.
Y & G #12 (curtain walls) features three sculptures and a film installation, “Camera Tracking a Spiral Drawn Between the Two Curved Towers of Viljo Revell’s Toronto City Hall (2010).”
All four of these works are influenced by curtain wall architecture—where walls act more as curtains than structural feats—and Young and Giroux’s general interest in modern or mid-century architecture and urban context.
“It’s something we keep going back to . . . in terms of art and architectural practice,” Young said.
Young also described the duo’s working relationship as “combative,” yet productive. They have been designing and building sculptures as a team since 2002, and made their first film in 2008.
Young explained that their sculpture often utilizes “the materiality and production of things” in contemporary society.
The duo began making films for several reasons, Young said.
“We had interests and ideas for content that wasn’t communicated through sculptures . . . we wanted to experiment with working with a completely different medium,” he said.
The artists are also interested in the change that was happening in downtown Toronto, though not in the expected buildings.
“Just really banal things like dollar stores or storage units,” Giroux said.
“Toronto City Hall is often cited as one of the more interesting buildings in Toronto—the sheer concrete surface, a thin shell, and a distinct special system,” he said.
The video of the hall replicates the feeling of being inside the building.
“You’re looking out at a vast chasm of space, with contradictory viewpoints, and an incredible, luxurious view of the city,” Giroux said.
The artists also explained their reasons for combining the three sculptures with the film for this exhibition.
“Bringing together separate pieces, having a film and sculpture complement each other, and cover each other’s weaknesses. The two animate each other . . . like a collection of impulses,” Young said.
Curator Diana Nemiroff described the work as “skeletal.”
“The sculptures show a miniaturization of the curtain wall. Sculpture is something that is built. The language of building is communicated stunningly,” Nemiroff said.
Young said it’s also about having control over his surroundings.
“We’re claiming agency in the built environment,” he said. “Only a few people get to claim a part of the skyline.”
The artists remain active in the local arts scene, with a sculpture on display in the National Gallery from Sept. 21 to Jan. 13, and another installation planned for the new Barrhaven South Recreation Complex.
Carleton will host the exhibit until Dec. 15.
