Shaun Kardinal

Hand-embroidered archival inkjet print, 10 x 10 inches.

Created for ONN/OF, a two-day art festival of Light.

I was invited to contribute a piece of art and a drink recipe for the Visual Art Happy Hour of the ONN/OF art festival, which was all about providing Light in the midst of Seattle’s generally dreary gray winter. During one of these gray mornings, I took a photo from my living room window. While there was some digital manipulation in the textures of the clouds in the photo, there was not much further color-adjusting necessary–it really was a perfectly flat, gray morning.

I had two archival inkjet prints made of the shot. Still interested in embroidery, I decided to sew up the first, preparing a mandala pattern which generated a sun-like shape.

Das Hermosa Mimosa Platter, mounted archival inkjet print, 16 x 16 inches.

The second print, altered with a set of glowing orbs radiating from its center, served as a platter for the drink portion of my contribution: Das Hermosa Mimosa, an editioned set of mimosa gelatin shots, presented individually in 1.5oz paint containers–wee doses of delicious light and beauty. A tasty little treat, I thought.

Das Hermosa Mimosa, 1.5oz champagne & oj gelatin shot in paint container, edition of 25.

I am happy to report that all 25 shots were snatched up during the Happy Hour. I hope they brought a glow to those who consumed them!

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Plexiglass (40 sheets, 8 x 8 x 1/8 inches) and lightbox. 10 x 10 x 7 inches. Collaboration with Troy Gua for ‘Bloom & Collapse.’

A sculpture for the taking.

From the group exhibition statement: ‘Bloom & Collapse’ presents the collaborative work of seven pairs of artists who have come together to address concepts of decay, fragmentation and decomposition. Paired with my good friend Troy Gua, with whom I’d collaborated once before, we knew a few things immediately: our work would be comprised of many pieces which would be free for the taking; the final output would bloom under our guidance and decay gracefully into the hands of many. Additionally, we wanted to address impermanence, artistic oeuvre, and a transition toward Light.

After a few rounds of preliminary sketches and planning, we arrived at this stacked pyramid approach, which merged Troy’s love of plastic sheen with my ever-increasing fondness for simple shapes made up of many carefully organized points. With the exception of the top piece, each of the 40 plexi sheets has four holes drilled into it. Stacked, a three-dimensional pyramid of light appears on the sides; viewed from above, a strangely refracted array of holes sway with the viewer, like the following eyes of a portrait.

Lastly, while installing, we shot a time-lapse-like series of photos to show how the sheets work with one another:

Souvenir (Disambiguation) – Installation Animation – Troy Gua / Shaun Kardinal 2011 from shaun kardinal on Vimeo.

Video: Installation AnimationWe are happy to report that all 40 sheets were taken during the exhibition’s opening reception.

‘Bloom & Collapse’ shows at SOIL Gallery through February, 2011. Visit troygua.com for more of Troy’s work.

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