"Art from the Inside Out" @ PAMA

I haven't posted an entry in a while! I was distracted and unmotivated, but I was also working on some gallery stuff. :) I got the opportunity - many thanks to Garry from The Bridge - to create some projects for an exhibit at PAMA called Art from the Inside Out. It's featuring artwork from inmates and ex-inmates in the area. Above is an installation I created, with the help of many friends, for this exhibit. It represents inmates being viewed as being all the same, and labelled with a number. The bar code number I used may not have been random. You can view a progress photo here and here. Here I made a giant photograph of hands - my hands actually - to go with the feel of the exhibit. You can see all the details in the skin, because I made this photo using my Skin Prints style. This was the first time I tried using whole hands by piecing together 4 strips of tape. Many people loved it! It was awesome. Above I thought of making a "sign in" board for people to put their finger prints. I thought it tied really well with the whole theme, and many people enjoyed this one as well! I was surprised at how many people had already signed it when I arrived to the opening reception. Here we had rounded up some great quotes from ex-inmates to display. I tried to make it look like they were printed on metal sheets of paper - but it was actually Bristol board! I fooled a few people. On the bench I also created a book labelled "Add Your Story", where people can write down their own personal stories of times when they felt imprisoned - not necessarily physically. Some of the ex-inmates attended, too. It was really fun to be a part of this, and it was quite a lot of work! I really appreciate all the help I received, and the great people I've met through this. If you're in Brampton, you can see the exhibit until July 7th. :) Thanks for reading!