Location
Pinchman's Café & Artisan Bakery
2037 Long Lake Rd #8b, Sudbury, ON P3E 6J9
Artists
Kim Fahner
Curator
Ally Carlos
Artist Statement
Divining Rod: How to walk through the liminality of thin spaces
In the Celtic tradition, ‘thin spaces’ are those spots where worlds and dimensions rub up against one another, and where glimmers of transcendence and wonder live. They are the sorts of the spots where you’re asked to reconsider your sense of the world, embracing the magic of it, and opening yourself up to the sensuality of possibilities you haven’t experienced yet. But…you need to be mindful and observant, and you need to let your eyes become unfocused to sense what’s beyond three-dimensional, physical sight.
These photos were taken in Northern and Southwestern Ontario, Ireland, Nova Scotia, and British Columbia from 2018-2024. When I take photos while I’m out walking in both urban and rural areas, my eye is drawn to things that arrive in my mind’s eye as both visual images and as lines in a poem. I will often say (out loud), “It’s a painting and a poem,” when I see something wonderful and poetic as I walk (or sometimes swim) through wild spaces. In cities, my eye is drawn to the patterns of lines and shapes, as well as colours and textures.
In all cases, I am aware of how close the veil between this world and others is thin, especially in terms of inspiration and the mysticism of the creative process. This is true in my creative writing, but also in the visual art that I’ve begun to experiment with in recent years through letterpress, linocut, watercolour, rug hooking, and free form embroidery. Poetry requires that same sense of close observation and curiosity for what dwells in the ‘thin places.’ There are no borders for creativity, just thresholds where the veil is thin. Creativity, for me, is liminal, carrying me across thresholds that aren’t always so easily mapped. Bridges, doorways, windows, and the natural elements all serve as images that draw me in—in both my photographs, and in my writing.
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Shop the Exhibition
Artworks are available for purchase until 29 July 2024. All works must remain on display until the exhibition is complete. Local pick up for purchased works begins after the exhibition ends on 30 July 2024.
