Objects of Desire

Works by David Dumbrell, Ian Freemantle, and Christina Kenton

March 4-27, 2022

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Objects have a unique presence, consume space, and demand attention in a different way than two dimensional works do. We want to embrace this idea and fill our gallery with nothing but sculpture this month from three self-taught artists. 

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David Dumbrell

From a young age, David Dumbrell has had a fascination for all things mechanical: how they worked and how they moved. They always caught his eye and held his attention.

Soon after retiring from his woodworking business, David happened to notice Doug Taylor’s kinetic sculpture“The Wind Swimmer”, displayed at Kitsilano Swimming Pool in Vancouver. In his early research into this new interest, he came across automata. These intricate animated figures captivated him, and he decided to pursue creating his own.

Recently, David has branched out into metalwork, resulting in rolling ball sculptures and kinetic water fountains.

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Ian Freemantle

"I love what is left behind. Pieces of what was, that contain an essence of the object, the thoughts, values, emotions, and morals that society has attached to it. The discarded toy, the bones of a creature, the mechanics of an obsolete machine; I am drawn to reconnect these parts in a new way, to ask the viewer to see them again but with a new meaning. To jar the perceptions of what the object once was – what it initially represented. What are we really leaving behind, discarding, and what can it say to us in return?"

From Ian.

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Christina Kenton

Christina Kenton first decided to make protectors for her lighters because at night, left outside, they got chilly. And in the morning, after a stay in the great outdoors, they often would no longer work. So, she built her lighters a casing to keep them warm.

Christina has been creating her lighter protectors for around a decade now. Along with the common therapeutic effects of art making, Kenton also noticed the repetitive, detailed work helped soothe her chronic vertigo.