Eastern Edge, an artist-run center for visual arts, has recently been engaging in creative projects showcasing technology’s potential as a medium for creative expression.
Having acquired a 3D printer, CNC machine, VR headset, and more, Eastern Edge has been demonstrating through its ‘Mainframe’ initiative what these platforms are capable of.
“Mainframe started last July and ends this July, [it] is a series of workshops [with] artists and residents here in our studio space with the goal of teaching the community and showing other artists who are working with more traditional things that there’s new different kinds of possibilities,” said Rachel Gilbert, Eastern Edge’s Residency and Digital Project Coordinator.
“We’ve made all different kinds of things. We have an artist in residence now; she is a textile artist, and she does weaving. I just finished printing a loom for her to weave on. People often print parts for different things and applications; you can print almost anything.”
Rachel also emphasized and encouraged anyone interested to get involved, requiring no prior experience.
“Basically, we want to increase the digital literacy of the arts community.— We have some workshops to teach the community how to use these things. This project provided opportunities for the local community to witness the possibilities and get on board themselves.”
While the project itself concludes at the end of July, the tools and equipment will continue to be available to members via a fee of $15 for students and $25 for the general public annually.
Eastern Edge also has their upcoming ‘Hold Fast Contemporary Arts Festival.’ Elijah Martel, Eastern Edge’s Communication Coordinator and overseer of the festival, spoke on it.
“So this festival has been running in one form or another since 1999 when it began as a 24-hour art marathon and has evolved into a four-day festival that is completely free and open to the public to attend. So we have a robust program of artist workshops, like mainframe, covering a wide range of subjects. Last year we had diorama making, eco-printing, upcycling out of plastics, sculptures and lithography, and it’s so exciting to be able to offer this broad range of things as part of this cohesive menu.”
“The idea is to kind of throw it all together and show folks this all part of the same world, and it is open to you.”
Eastern Edge also offers residencies to artists seeking to build their skills professionally and artistically.
“We’re looking for something that is impactful and will benefit from this time – the residency could be used to make work you want to exhibit. I definitely would encourage those interested to come check out the gallery, the artist’s talks, the member’s show – that way, you can get a sense of the experiences and insights.”
Likewise, Eastern Edge has used its skills to make an impact. Through its ‘Art as a Tool for Change,’ they’ve exhibited Art as an empowering tool to facilitate critical dialogue around feminism, anti-racism, 2SLGBTQAI+ rights, and environmental activism.
Eastern Edge is located at 72 Harbour Drive in St. John’s. More info can be found on their website: easternedge.ca