|
Exhibiting artist stole show-literally
By Cheryl Rossi-Staff writer
Directional signs for film, TV and commercial productions inspired Christian Kliegel's artistic journey. They also prompted a formal visit by a Vancouver police officer to downtown's Contemporary Art Gallery.
When Kliegel moved to Vancouver five years ago to study at the Emily Carr Institute of Art and Design, he became fascinated with the vibrant, cryptic signs he saw everywhere in the city: neon yellow arrows sporting words like "Extras," a sense-assaulting red arrow reading "RFC" and a Day-Glo orange "4400."
"I didn't really understand what they were, these ubiquitous markers," Kliegel said. "They have these codes and I was interested in cracking these codes that are everywhere."
He "collected" the signs for three years but doesn't view his actions necessarily as theft, even though he acknowledged the signs were made and owned by production and rental companies.
"The movie companies are accusing me of theft but at the same time the movie companies come into Vancouver and they're sort of stealing the city in a way," he said. "They're using it to their own advantage and then not even giving it any credit, even in the movie, just using Vancouver and changing it to another city... It's this reciprocal relationship that I wanted to point to by taking those signs."
Kliegel avoided taking signs of productions that are actually set in Vancouver, like Da Vinci's Inquest.
But when David Grandy of Off-Set Rentals learned that some of his signs were included in the eye-catching display in the gallery's 12 windows, he wasn't pleased. He called the Vancouver Police Department. An officer visited the gallery June 23, three weeks after the "Production Postings" show went up, and informed staff Grandy wanted his signs back at the end of the exhibit, Aug. 20.
He wasn't the first person to ask about the signs. An assistant location manager with the North Vancouver-based Kyle Productions had previously contacted the gallery to return 10 of its signs. He could not be reached for comment.
Const. Tim Fanning said once the gallery agreed to return Grandy's signs the case was closed. "I was confused as to why it became a big deal with the art gallery. Once the exhibit was over the man that pays for these signs could have his signs back," Fanning said.
Gallery curator Jenifer Papararo said the turn of events added another "layer of history" to the exhibit, with 50 of the more than 300 signs returned to Kyle Productions and Off-Set Rentals and replaced with muted black and white photocopies. A letter from gallery director Christina Ritchie to Grandy is also on display, stating she was disappointed he did not appreciate the intention of the work.
Papararo described the installation as an interesting representation of Vancouver and its economic relationship with the film industry. "People mainly see the film industry or television production through these signs and have little glimpses at anything else," she said. "We don't see the stars, we barely see the actual shoots happening, there's usually just these signs kind of hidden away."
The Courier reached Grandy but he declined comment, saying the incident has been blown out of proportion.
As to whether the gallery would show collected or stolen objects again, Papararo said it would depend on the project.
published on 07/07/2006
| 
