Sara Barr

A familiar face graced the stage of the Lethbridge University’s art now series. Sara Barr is a recent graduate of the Fine Arts department in two thousand seven, and is now currently attending Concordia University pursuing an MFA. Sara’s work predominantly focuses on books as a material object, interested in the gestural quality as well as the process of specifically attempting to understand the notion of reading. She elaborates in saying “text has sort of a sensual and ambiguous environment.” She explains during her undergraduate study “I am interested in deconstruction books specifically literature that deals with women and the ones who experience the text.” An example of this was a piece she did in the niche gallery that consisted of reading a page of text and then gluing the individual words together. The final work attempts to express this sense of tying them together giving the small pieces a sense of volume within the space.

                Currently during her study at Concordia Sara has found an interest in collecting books. Her process and collection has become an aspect of her work.  She is still interested in the deconstructing of the physical book and in a work she showed during her talk affirmed this idea. She explains “I am interested in the book as an object, engaging with the book. I created a jacket consisting of pages of the book, my attempt at embodying the text.” I found this interpretation of the book very clever and quit interesting in a metaphorical sense. Exploring the notion that one can absorb literature in other ways other than reading is very unique way of interpreting the medium. Continuing this study of multiple interpretation of literature Sara showed a short video clip of her taking a bath with a book. This again I found very interesting as the medium seemed to be transformed into a more organic form. I found the text becoming more of a background, and the sounds and hand gestures becoming more of my focus.  Sara elaborates “Bathing with the book the water acts as a space of transition giving the book a sense of play the book fills up and groans”

                Sara will be exhibiting at the Southern Alberta Art Gallery here in Lethbridge staring on November twentieth. I was fortunate to speak with Sara following her lecture and she is very excited and encourages anyone who is interested in her work to attend the opening. The work that will be showing is an audio piece which Sara states “I find the idea of presenting a strictly audio piece very interesting and how through viewer engages with the work fascinating.” I enjoyed seeing an artist in the similar position as myself pursuing her passion and achieving success within the artistic community.