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Programming

karen elaine spencer

Movin' the charter

karen elaine spencer proposes to disseminate in the public space excerpts from the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which she has transcribed onto large wooden panels.

Movin' the charter 6

With movin' the charter, karen elaine spencer proposes to disseminate excerpts from the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which she transcribed on large wooden panels. By inviting particular groups of participants to choose passages of the Charter that particularly resonate for them, the artist appropriates these excerpts to produce large format panels, which she will donate to the participant team thereafter.

Movin' the charter 5

Dans movin‘ the charter, karen elaine spencer propose de disséminer dans l'espace public des extraits de la Charte des droits et libertés du Québec, qu’elle a retranscrit sur de grands panneaux de bois.

Movin' the charter 4

Dans movin‘ the charter, karen elaine spencer propose de disséminer dans l'espace public des extraits de la Charte des droits et libertés du Québec, qu’elle a retranscrit sur de grands panneaux de bois. En invitant des groupes de participant.e.s choisis à sélectionner des passages de la Charte qui résonnent particulièrement pour eux/elles, l’artiste s’approprie ensuite ces extraits afin de réaliser des écriteaux aux formats imposants, dont elle fera ensuite don à l’équipe de participant.e.s.

Movin' the charter 03

With movin' the charter, karen elaine spencer proposes to disseminate excerpts from the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which she transcribed on large wooden panels. By inviting particular groups of participants to choose passages of the Charter that particularly resonate for them, the artist appropriates these excerpts to produce large format panels, which she will donate to the participant team thereafter.

Movin' the charter 02

With movin' the charter, karen elaine spencer proposes to disseminate excerpts from the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms, which she transcribed on large wooden panels. By inviting particular groups of participants to choose passages of the Charter that particularly resonate for them, the artist appropriates these excerpts to produce large format panels, which she will donate to the participant team thereafter.

Movin' the charter 1

In Movin' the Charter, karen elaine spencer disseminates extracts from the Quebec Charter of Rights and Freedoms in public spaces, transcribing them onto large wooden panels. By inviting selected groups of participants to select passages from the Charter that particularly resonate with them, the artist will then appropriate these extracts to create large-format signs, which she will then donate to the team of participants. In this transaction, there will be a transfer of ownership, as well as assigned responsibilities. In return, the members of the team undertake to reveal the fragment of text prepared by the artist to the general public during a concerted urban intervention, and then to dispose of it as they see fit, having to assume both the weight and the responsibility of this object created by the artist, which is both powerful and cumbersome in terms of its size and materiality.

Through the inscriptions she inserts into the public space, the artist not only promotes the Charter of Rights and Freedoms by moving extracts of the magnified text into the street, giving it greater visibility, but also gives a platform to certain less well-represented groups in society, through her delicately composed panels. Movin' the Charter becomes a place for meetings and exchanges around the Charter's articles and what it can represent for different communities.

A series of actions is planned as part of this project, which will take place between November 2018 and August 2019.

Née en 1960 à Nelson en Colombie-Britannique, karen elaine spencer vit et travaille à Montréal où elle réside depuis plusieurs années. Elle détient une maîtrise en arts plastiques de l’Université du Québec à Montréal et un baccalauréat du Nova Scotia College of Art and Design (NSCAD) de Halifax. En reconnaissance de sa contribution, elle a obtenu le prix de la Galerie La Centrale – Powerhouse en 2012. Ses œuvres ont été présentées au Canada, aux États-Unis et en Europe, notamment lors de Blogueurs en captivité, une collaboration de DARE-DARE et Folie Culture, lors du festival Art in Odd Places à New York, ainsi que dans le contexte du Festival d’art performatif et d’intervention de Moncton. Elle a aussi donné des prestations de créations orales à la bibliothèque de Westmount, au Arts Café de Montréal et à la John Snow House de Calgary. Son œuvre se déploie aussi dans le contexte de résidences d’artistes, notamment tout récemment au International Studio and Curatorial Program (ISCP) de Brooklyn où elle a tenu le blog hey mike en 2012, ainsi qu’à la New Gallery de Calgary et à Praxis art actuel en 2011.