Slowly, Slowly
Jan 06
Jan 29 2023
exhibition in-person
See Details
Free
389 Roncesvalles Avenue, Toronto
Jan 20Fri 11:00am 7:00pm
Jan 21Sat 11:00am 7:00pm
Jan 22Sun 12:00pm 6:00pm
Jan 23Mon 12:00pm 7:00pm
Jan 24Tue 12:00pm 7:00pm
Jan 25Wed 12:00pm 7:00pm
Jan 26Thu 12:00pm 7:00pm
Jan 27Fri 11:00am 7:00pm
Jan 28Sat 11:00am 7:00pm
Jan 29Sun 12:00pm 6:00pm

‘Slowly, Slowly’ by Jenn Kitagawa is an exploration into the relationship between the self and technology through typographic textiles and video documentation. The artwork is an analog observation of the internet and digital communication. As life increasingly becomes more mechanized and instantaneous, the intention is to disrupt the infinite screen scroll, invite pausation and to be present.

Employing familiar materials such as cotton and wood emphasizes the idea of creating something tangible as a response to a quickly moving space that is constantly refreshing and disappearing. Textiles are physical, and cannot be made to appear or vanish with the click of a button. The materials also inform the process: using the technique of hand weaving is a conscious reaction against screens and the immediacy of digital spaces. Weaving is unhurried and meditative, and encourages viewers to slow down while experiencing each piece.

The artwork incorporates typography based on or prompted by digital idioms that circle back to the physical world, and the colours correspond to pixelated photographs of nature. The show will also include a 64-hour-long video documenting the slow process of hand making the central artwork — serving as another means of capturing the time, labour and physical space required.

The main concern for producing these works is to make the connection between URL and IRL and then interrupt it. To create a dialogue with the viewer, and to push up against the capitalistic view that time is only valuable if efficiently used or productive. To reconnect to the physical world, to the physical body and to allow room for uncurated and algorithm free thought. To welcome respite and stillness.

Participants

Jenn Kitagawa

Acknowledgements

Canada Council for the Arts logo

Accessibility

Who should visitors contact with questions regarding accessibility?
Brooke Manning
Is this venue accessible by wheelchair or similar mobility devices? This includes access to washrooms and all aspects of programming/events.
Yes
A detail shot of the back of a woven textile that has the colours green, purple, pink, red and white.
Jenn Kitagawa, 'Touch Some Grass' (detail), 2022, 37.5" x 52.5"
A video screen mounted on the wall showing the process of making the hand woven textile.
Jenn Kitagawa, '64 Hours of Weaving', 2022, 1920px x 1080px