Signal Fire
Grow Twillingate is thrilled to return with the SIGNAL FIRE Digital Arts Exhibition. SIGNAL FIRE will present the work of internationally exhibited, contemporary, Canadian digital artists inside the historic Long Point Lighthouse art gallery. The lighthouse is located on top of a magnificent seaside cliff with stunning views of the surrounding natural environment in Twillingate, NL, Canada (more about the location).
The exhibition is scheduled to open August 15 and runs through October 13th, 2024. Admission to the Signal Fire Digital Arts Exhibition is free, donations are appreciated. The exhibition is also part of the Unscripted Twillingate Digital Arts Festival which runs from September 19 -22, 2024. For tickets to other festival experiences such as live music, hikes, and food, click on each item in the schedule.
Working with independent Curator Janice Hertel, SIGNAL FIRE will present works by local and provincial artists alongside work by artists from across Canada.
Curatorial Statement
"I am excited to be curator of this digital art exhibition in the historic Long Point Lighthouse. The juxtaposition of innovative digital art within the rich heritage of the location is stimulating for thought. The enduring beauty of the Twillingate area provides a unique opportunity for experiencing artwork. This combination inspired the concept of the exhibition.
There is a long tradition in artwork to include representations of humans, animals, arrangements of objects, and flowers. I find it fascinating to discover how contemporary artists approach their subject matter. There is often a deep, conceptual contemplation about the relationship of the technology, tools and methods applied. This can be developed with experimental, enhancive, or deconstructive elements. Digital artists may stack multiple tools, mediums, and invent pipelines as they hone their processes and progress their unique aesthetics. As a result, elements of the artwork can range from minimalistic to remarkably complex.
Just as our ancestors understood the human experience through symbolism and made statements through their art, innovative artists of our time reflect upon their experience of the world through current technology, social, and cultural lenses. I arranged a selection of work in a luminescent presentation of timeless expression, examining the familiar while advancing forward with a sense of surprise and wonder.
Enjoy the show!"
Curator Bio
Janice Hertel has been shifting between traditional and digital art seamlessly for decades. As a formally educated and practicing visual artist in both traditional and digital mediums, she understands the nuances that differentiate the digital art culture, as well as the similarities with the traditional art world. Her education includes an MFA in Painting and Printmaking, BFA in Painting and Art History, Certificate in 3D Digital Animation, and a BEd. She is inspired by the growth of the Unscripted Digital Arts Festival, and how it has evolved over the years. Her passion for creative technology has motivated her involvement in the provincial and international digital art communities. As an artist early to incorporating AR/XR (augmented reality/extended reality), she was exhibited AR and XR as artwork in NL at the Unscripted: Twillingate Digital Art Festival 2019. She continued to show her artwork at the Unscripted Art Exhibitions in 2020, 2021, and 2023. Her AR/XR artworks were also the first of this kind featured in CB Nuit 2020, Eastern Edge gallery 2020, and the Writer’s at Woody Point Art Show 2021. Janice’s past career in the museum and art gallery fields include 3D scanning and printing for museum archives and exhibits for Museum of Natural History Berlin, Royal Tyrell Museum AB, Amherst College MA, Royal Ontario Museum, Field Museum Chicago. She has also done curatorial work at the Castellani Art Museum NY, and Sawhill Gallery VA. As a post-secondary educator, she teaches art, art history, and game design subjects to college students, and gives workshops and talks at festivals and conferences in Canada and the US. Inspired by popular culture, her own artwork explores digital identities, avatars, authentic creation using technology, and meaningful connections that we share across the globe through these resources. Highlights of exhibition and show locations include multiple events in Miami, St. John’s City Hall, a jumbo screen in Times Square in New York City, Versace Mansion in Miami, Harvard Club in New York City, Beijing China, Planetarium in Bogota Columbia, Nottingham Castle Museum in England, San Diego Public Library CA, art galleries in Los Angeles and Hollywood, and digital art events in Denver CO, Palm Beach FL, and Austin TX. Features during her career in the video game and film industry as Art Director or Digital Artist include working on Harry Potter movies, a Toy Story 3 game, a CSI game, and Mummer’s Journey video game for GMSM in Corner Brook.
