A new exhibition at The Kube gallery in Gibsons features the work of a professional garden designer whose two-dimensional artwork gives shape to the concept of time.
Chris McQuilkin uses fine-tipped fountain pens (carefully sourced from a German supplier) to create abstract landscapes composed of infinitesimally small crosshatches. Everything — like the supernal sunset depicted in Gentle Into the Darkness — is drawn freehand.
The occasional blemishes become part of the image… except for one canvas. After 17 hours of exacting labour, his partner slathered olive oil over the Christmas turkey and accidentally splattered the nearby artwork, ruining it. “Then I redid it,” McQuilkin said, “and the spacing of it was so much better.”
In McQuilkin’s work, time is of the essence. To mark a milestone birthday, he devised a unique self-portrait: every day he lived is represented as a geometric form. He’s also fascinated with ancient civilizations (as a child in Northern Ireland he dreamed of one day becoming a palaeontologist and developed a passion for megalithic structures).
His works explore the sexagesimal (base-60) numeral system devised by the ancient Sumerians, which gave rise to the 60-minute hour and 24-hour day. “It’s all sort of based around my fascination for a 7,000-year-old way of calculating time that we still use today on our watch, and nobody pays attention to it or even asks why,” he said.
The concentrated effort on such miniature detail orients him to the vast expanse of history. “We live our lives in the click between two gears,” he said. “And as it clicks over, we jump from dinosaurs to Marscape. It’s really humbling, but it’s also super fascinating. It’s a little bit like it’s saying: wake up and smell the roses.”
McQuilkin’s exhibition Temporal Lines continues at The Kube until the end of April.
Bone up on history
The tems swiya Museum of the shíshálh Nation is due to re-open on April 17.
Two new exhibits will be added to the collection: Syiyaya ?e te Sinkwu (“Our Family of the Sea”), showcasing a newly-mounted fin whale skeleton; and a display (“100 Years of Our Stories”) that chronicles the historic amalgamation of shíshálh clans, culminating in a declaration of unity in 1925.
Two guided tours will be offered, at 1:30 p.m. and 3 p.m. Regular museum hours will be 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
A waggish tale
The Gibsons Public Library is hosting a program created by the local corps of St. John Ambulance therapy dogs: an opportunity to read to a canine with an acute appetite for literature.
Watson the dog is on the receiving end for all types of readers — those new to reading, experienced bibliophiles, or struggling readers. "Watson is non-judgemental and loves stories and pets," according to library staff. Assignments of 20 to 60 minutes are available by volunteering online or by calling 604-886-2130.
The program is designed for children and youth aged 18 years and under. Registration is required; accessibility accommodations can be arranged by emailing [email protected].
The appointments (free of charge) are available on Tuesdays from 3:30 to 4:30 p.m. As to a preferred text, unleash your imaginations.
Plant yourself and look up
This Earth Day, armchair astronomers have an opportunity to focus their attention beyond the planet's surface.
The Sunshine Coast Astronomy Club is bringing its travelling star party to the Sunshine Coast Botanical Garden on April 22. Attendees are urged to bring a chair and blanket, a telescope (or a pair of binoculars) for opportunities to gaze at the constellations.
Members of the club will have their telescopes and monitors on-hand to facilitate closer looks at the heavens.
Admission to the event is by donation, with proceeds supporting both the Garden and the Sunshine Coast Astronomy Club. The event begins at 8:30 p.m., as dusk falls over the immaculately-tended garden.
