Memorable Panorama: Stephen Wiltshire MBE

Stephen Wiltshire MBE is an artist working in New York who methodically sketches city skylines and landmarks in his practice. His panoramic sketch of New York City beginning in Brooklyn and moving across to Manhattan is particularly impressive given that he accomplishes this large-scale piece entirely from memory without any visual reference (ie. photographs) to aid in his final production. With only a blank canvas and some black ink pens, Wiltshire relies entirely on his memory of the skyline to create a highly detailed and accurate sketch of the urban landscape.

What is particularly interesting to note is that Wiltshire is an autistic artist. his panoramic piece based entirely on memory is an impressive accomplishment in and of itself, but the fact that he works with what is traditionally classified as a limitation or disability plays an integral role in his work. That is to say that Wiltshire helps debunk this notion of autism as a limitation or disability and enters into a discourse of social awareness of these harmful social classifications given his artistic achievements. It is truly amazing that the mind can accomplish on its own without the daily distractions and dependence on modern technologies. 

-Katlin Rogers

Heather Kathleen Rudd

In this work Thinking Space (Momentary Archives), artist Heather Rudd focuses on how our minds are influenced by the outside world. As she describes the piece,

“In this work I use the act of writing as a way of transferring my exact thoughts during a 21 minute duration onto a piece of 21 x 21 cm piece of paper whilst my eyes are closed. During this time, my thoughts become influenced by the actions of those around me, therefore the writing becomes a pictoral representation of what is happening in the environment at that moment in time. If something else were to occur during the performance, the piece would appear completely different, thus making them specific to a moment in the past. Over a period of time a library of these slides is amassed and viewers are able to view the preserved drawings according to a particular date and time.”

Andrea Campbell: Surveillant Assemblage 

Andrea is a current MFA candidate at the University of Ottawa and her photographic and digital media works explore how society is transformed by technology. In Surveillant Assemblage, Campbell exhibits personal memory as a collection of data. This work features a set of motion sensored light boxes that expose a collection of receipts documenting three years in the life of the artist. When installed, the light boxes are illuminated by the viewer’s actions. The data available to the viewer is witnessed in fragments, assembled here as an example of how we leave “trails” behind us as we go about our daily business.

Campbell’s installation allows us to question the impact of contemporary technology on our lives. It illustrates how our actions can easily be monitored; our personal information accessible to anyone. With this in mind, perhaps we are moved to reconsider how we project our selves via various digital mediums.