There is something about hidden spaces that makes me feel all cozy and warm inside. As a commuter student, I am up at SFU’s Burnaby campus for my classes only, and as soon as they are done I bolt out to catch the 145 bus before having to mingle with the swarm of other undergraduates who are trying to do the same.
On a not-so-special day, walking through the AQ, I thought to myself “where the heck am I going to study for the next hour?” I found myself walking slowly past the SFU Gallery, and lo and behold, a white mass was unveiled. I was not so sure what to make of this scene, but to me it looked like a huge white fort encompassing nearly the entire room — and two others, like myself, had also discovered it.
A boy and a girl were sitting on top of the structure with a Persian carpet laid underneath them, their heads nearly grazing the ceiling. Enthralled at this discovery, though slightly confused, I took delight in seeing comfy grey and red pillows strewn along the white painted wood deck. It made me want to just sit there — and study of course, in my new magical place.
people are asked to come and activate the space, experience and play in the space.”
Melanie O’Brian, curator and director of the SFU Gallery
There is an entire room inside the fort structure, hidden away from view. What visitors find here is another makeshift gallery inside the fort that you have to climb into. Paintings such as John Innes’s controversial 1843 James Douglas Building the Hudson’s Bay Post at Victoria, as well as porcelain plates and miniature bronze figures adorn the inside walls, all of which come from SFU’s massive art collection.
Samuel Roy-Bois’s latest exhibition Not a new world, just an old trick is about architecture and space. Indeed, this piece taps into the nostalgia of a long lost childhood with innocent days of exploration and a sense of curiosity. Director and curator of the gallery, Melanie O’Brian, says, “There is an activity happening in this gallery and people are asked to come and activate the space, experience and play in the space.” One has to literally walk around the entire white fort structure to see what she means.
With most galleries, there is a “do not touch” sign hung amidst the displays, but this installation asks you to directly engage with it. “You are allowed to climb on it, it’s assessable, it feels intimate — it feels like a fort,” says O’Brian.
Not only is Samuel Roy-Bois a recent recipient of the notable 2012 Vancouver Mayor’s Award for Public Art, there are also many impressive works within his installation that have been collected by SFU for over 50 years. “The collection has almost 5,500 works, mostly hidden, although 49 are out on display, hand chosen by the artist himself.”
Of Roy-Bois, O’Brian says, “He is interested in bringing the viewer through a succession of roles and positions, rather than as a classic and passive spectator.”
Evidently, no matter how long you have been going to the Burnaby campus there is always something new to find and discover. Take a break from your usual hangouts spaces and try something new. Believe me, you won’t regret it.
