Art is as much about people’s reaction to a piece of art as much as it is about the piece itself according to artist Collin Zipp. It is one of many reasons he and artist Mandy Espezel are looking forward to their exhibition at the Dr. Foster Penny building downtown. They will be the University of Lethbridge‘s first MFA art major graduates. Their joint exhibition, to run Sept. 15-30, is the final component of their degree.

Collin Zipp, who is originally from Winnipeg, took quite a few years off from school and exhibited his works across the country, before coming to Lethbridge for his masters degree.

“For me, it was because there were a lot of artists who I really respected like Janet Cardiff and David Hoffos, and it’s close to the mountains,” Zipp said of applying to be one of the first Lethbridge’s first MFA art students.

Mandy Espezel, originally  from Fort MacMurray, jumped right into the masters after earning her undergraduate degree at the university.

“I moved here and I knew everybody right away. They were so supportive,” she said.

 Audience reaction is an integral part of both artists’ works— especially Zipp.

 Zipp is influenced by “performance artists” like Andy Kaufman, who considered  audience response to their works.

“I’m influenced by people like Andy Kaufman who used to use trickery to deceive their audiences. They weren’t really considered to be performance artists then, they were considered to be jokesters,” Zipp said.
“I like artists who use humour in their work.”

 So he didn’t want to speak about the specifics of the pieces in his exhibition, so as to not spoil the surprise for the audience. But there will be several multi-media video components to it of things like unexpected stand-up comics as well as a some sculpture and some paintings.
They just got access to the space on Sept. 2, so much needs to be done before it opens. In the case of Zipp’s work, proper camera positions need to be established for maximum effect.

 

Though audience reaction is important, he isn’t going to be filming their reaction.
“I need the audience to react. It’s like vinegar and baking soda, put them together and bang — it’s a fake volcano,” Zipp said. 
Mandy Espezel is looking forward to creating her own space in the building for her exhibition.
“I’m going to create an enlarged diorama out of material based on an adult play area. I was thinking of a child’s room,” she said of one of the two ideas she is considering exploring. She is also going to be displaying some of the paintings she has been working on since beginning the program.

 Another idea is recreating a photo she took of a beautiful fall day of a canopy of fallen leaves framed by blue sky and turning it into a three dimensional fabric interpretation of it.

They are looking forward to their exhibition, which hasn’t been named yet.

“I’m just looking forward to not being a student anymore,” Zipp said.

“I’m just looking forward to the show. It will be wonderful. I’m looking forward to people coming out to it because it is what we have been working towards,” Espezel added.

As of Sept. 15, it will be open every Thursday, Friday and Saturday from noon-4 p.m. until Sept. 30.

 The actual reception is Sept. 24 from 7-10 p.m., though the venue will be open before that.

 The shorter hours are because the the building can only be opened when there are volunteers on site and so far, they will be Zipp and Espezel.