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Pavitra Wickramasinghe, Take hold lightly. Let go lightly, work in progress, laser cut paper, light and shadow, 2013

About

The notion of time-travel implies longing, regret and hope. Wickramasinghe was inspired by the work of physicist Ronald L. Mallett and his theories of time-travel based on laser technology – in a sense using light as a time machine. The resulting projects are objects of wonder and delicate imagery produced on paper through painstaking drawing and historical photographic techniques. These careful methods hint at the complex relationship between what we see, what we imagine, and what is actually there.

“For this project I am working with imagery that provokes notions of traveling (in time and space) and the fluidity of place. And I use shadow as a stand in for these notions. Shadows provide an opportunity for illusion, trickery and exploring perception as an integral part of understanding. It is proof that not all meaning can be created or displayed in light and indicates the absolute consistency of change and the impossibility of fixed meaning.

“For the past few years I have been preoccupied by the idea of giving a physical form to light, shadow and projection. This exhibition is an accumulation of these attempts and studio experiments. These trials have manifested as moving image installations, drawings, sculptures and Vandyke prints. I use light in its varied forms - a source from a lamp to project shadows, a laser as a sculpting tool and the sun to make alternative photographic prints.”

Wickramasinghe is Concordia University’s 2011 recipient of the Stephen and Claudine Bronfman Fellowship in Contemporary Art. This exhibition and catalogue publication mark the conclusion of her two-year fellowship term.

Biography

Pavitra Wickramasinghe was born in Sri Lanka and now lives in Montréal. Her practice is guided by wonder and her work explores a sense of place. Selected exhibitions include: MACHines, Centre Des Arts (France), Yeosu International Art Festival (South Korea); Galerie B-312 (Montréal); Cartes Flux Festival (Finland), Stuttgart Filmwinter (Germany); Centro Cultural del Matadero (Spain); Truck Gallery (Calgary); and Made In Video Festival (Denmark), among others. She is a recipient of numerous residencies, awards and grants including UNESCO-Aschberg Bursaries for Artists Programme, Changdong Art Studio, National Museum of Contemporary Art (South Korea); Art Omi International Artist Program (Ghent, NY, USA); Canada Council for the Arts and Claudine & Stephen Bronfman Fellowship in Contemporary Art.

Links

Pavitra Wickramasinghe's website

Darsha Hewitt (Technician, electronics on Silence of Thought, Music of Sight. 2012.)

Jonathan Villeneuve (Technician, electronics and mechanics on Take hold lightly. Let go lightly. 2013.)

Selected Works

© Concordia University