The materials that made up one of the most iconic buildings in downtown Winnipeg are now being put to use in a new art exhibit that speaks to reconciliation and ecology.
Betonwaves, the latest exhibition on display at the Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Winnipeg, combines low-carbon cement with concrete harvested from the ongoing construction at the old Hudson’s Bay Company building across Osborne Street from the gallery. The building, now owned by the Southern Chiefs Organization, is currently undergoing renovations as it begins a new chapter with an eye towards being a symbolic space for reconciliation efforts after years of being a symbol of Canadian colonialism.
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When asked to create an exhibition at the Plug In Institute, artists Louise Witthöft and Rodney LaTourelle reached out to the SCO to ask if they could use the old concrete to build screens that people could look through and see the building with a new perspective, a request that the SCO obliged.
“You’re looking through sort of transformed concrete into a transformed building,” explains LaTourelle. “And there’s also mirrors in the screen [to] also have a kind of self-reflection. So, hopefully, it’s a kind of significant perception on the changing current climate in terms of ecology and post-colonialism as a sculptural gesture.
LaTourelle and Witthöft hope that using different kinds of concrete in their work helps people also to consider the ways in which urban construction can evolve from using the materials that went into the Hudson’s Bay building that are a huge source of CO2 emissions into more sustainable materials. “Concrete is a very significant material that people have taken for granted, and it’s in an industry that’s very slow to change,” LaTourelle says. “It’s trying to give nudges to these materials that we use within the current climate emergency.”
While LaTourelle and Witthöft are presenting these commentaries on the Hudson’s Bay building and what it represents, they acknowledge that people have fond memories from its history. LaTourelle has enjoyed seeing people interact with Betonwaves alongside memories of the building’s offerings such as the Paddlewheel Restaurant. “The concept is quite interesting for people when they realize that these sculptures are made from Hudson’s Bay concrete that’s just across the street from the gallery,” LaTourelle says. “Just having this presence… you can feel it in kind of very subtle ways.
Betonwaves runs at the Plug In Institute of Contemporary Art at the University of Winnipeg until November 1. Hours and more information are available at the gallery’s website.
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