Threshold

Threshold
Third Year New Media Exhibition

February 6 - March 2, 2013
Opening Reception: February 7th, 6-9 p.m.

Gallery Hours:
Wednesday - Saturday: 12-5 p.m.
80 Spadina Ave, Suite 305, Toronto, ON
416-703-2235
http://www.imagallery.ca/
imagalleryru@gmail.com

Threshold is a collection of multimedia pieces created by third year New Media students at Ryerson’s School of Image Arts. The term “threshold” is often used to indicate a point of entry or a beginning, and as students on the cusp of graduation and, ultimately, adulthood, the artists of Threshold 2013 have each created pieces which explore the implications of play within both a new media context and the design world as well.

Stuart Brown once said “Play energizes us and enlivens us. It eases our burdens. It renews our natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities”. Through the development of objects, installations, and projection-based works, this collection of pieces presents technology as a means for creating new objects by entwining elements of play with sophisticated algorithms and technical systems. The total engagement of the body and imagination allow viewers to revel in the joys of childhood fantasy while still raising questions about the nature of communication within a modern, media saturated world. Issues of social status, urban lifestyles, and human connection are all approached critically, yet are imbued with a sense of human connection and randomness while still ultimately being viewed with a positive outlook as childlike experiences act as supports for topics typically delegated to those outside of youth.

As technologies and their influence on the art world continue to change, it may be easy for one to become overwhelmed and burdened by the seeming negative effects which digital communications may place upon human relationships and societal issues such as overexposure, consumerism, and apathy. However, each of the pieces reject this disposition, with the collection reappropriating familiar objects with new meanings to better reflect the evolving artscape of Toronto. Thus, in this ever-changing world of technology, it is important to reflect upon and participate in play, for as Marc Bekoff wrote, “Play is training for the unexpected"