The dresses themselves were not exactly talking, but the 10 experimental Squamish artists behind each of the creations had plenty to say.
Their expressive stories, rationales, and creations that walked down the runway captivated the full house at last Friday’s, Aug. 4, Into The Woods Wearable Art Fashion Show at the Whistle Stop Boutique in downtown Squamish.
The Into The Woods theme was developed as a laboratory in which to celebrate, study and experiment around Squamish’s forest and logging heritage. The Whistle Stop, celebrating its 37th anniversary, partnered with the 57th annual Squamish Days Loggers Sports Festival to bring the subject of merged arts and industry to life.
“After attending the Into The Woods wearable art fashion shows I am in awe of not only the efforts to put such a unique show on, I am in awe of the talent of the artists who create such inspirational pieces,” said attendee realtor Denise Salmon.
“Each one has a different story and with the abundance of natural resources in Squamish the creative juices flow freely. Squamish is truly becoming known as a destination for viewing public art and artisans,” she said.
“Often overlooked in the past, the bar has been raised, and Squamish is surprising even the most discriminating of tastes.”
The participating experimental artists included: Kylie Rebecca Milne, Myriam Millins, Jan Corkan from Vancouver, Krisztina Egyed, Vanessa Thackery Cunningham, Breanna Wilson, Virginia Reid, Billies Bouquet, Elizabeth Harris, Catherine Nicholls, Lise Hamilton and Carol Ann Berkley.
Most artists modelled their own pieces. Additional models included Nancy Hamilton, Barbara Gloor, Diana Sillery and Hilary Allison.
The art pieces themselves ranged from incredibly executed and cautiously wearable fantasy pieces such as Jan Corkan’s “Cape of the Beautiful Dead” comprised of masses of layer upon layer of ghostly, shimmering skeletal leaves; to less functional studies of the human condition such as Breanna Wilson’s “Human,” a sculptural piece coded with human genetics, family tree histories and patterned with DNA helixes.
The Into The Woods wearable art fashion show is an example of the constantly expanding and evolving nature of how art is used as a tool of communication and reminds us how throughout history humans have been interested in developing and understanding unique channels for expressing ideas.
Using art, particularly experimental conceptual art, as a method of communication often poses questions and challenges for viewers – which is what makes the engaged audience just as fabulous as the art works themselves. It’s all part of the interactive process.
