New child friendly public art sparks the imagination of art lovers of all ages
June 29, 2023
Local artists Erin Pankratz and Christian Pérès Gibaut of Red Knot Studio are makers that work with a “Head, Heart, and Hands” philosophy. In their work, they combine a strong conceptual foundation with solid technique and meaningful community engagement to create installations with a warm human touch that sparks the public’s imagination. The duo designs public art on the edge of abstraction, imbuing their pieces with the unexpected. Their belief is that this approach creates inclusive artwork that stands the test of time, inspires curiosity, and enhances the community’s experience of the site.
Their new installation at the Downtown Civic Precinct, A Mischief of Could Be(s), is designed to spark the imaginations of Edmontonians of all ages. Consisting of five standing sculptures, the artwork draws inspiration from how children freely interpret and imagine the world through play. The tree-like quality suggests the idea of a magical forest, while the ambiguity of the gestural forms allows for other interpretations, such as tentacles, snakes, arms, stalagmites, etc. The whimsical shapes and colourful palette give the sculptures an urban look, making it engaging for art lovers of any age.
This child-friendly project is a collaboration between the Edmonton Arts Council, local artists, the Child Friendly Edmonton Initiative to involve children living in Edmonton in ways to use art to incorporate playful, child-friendly components within the Civic Precinct. Red Knot Studio has also been commissioned to create a complementary child-friendly artwork to be installed at Centennial Plaza, which is in progress and will be installed later this year.
To learn more about A Mischief of Could Be(s) and the work of Erin Pankratz and Christian Pérès Gibaut read our Q&A with the artist duo.
What drew you to apply for this public art project?
Although the project looked challenging, it was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity worth taking the risk because of the scope of the project and the location. In addition, we felt we were a good fit for it given our skillset and medium. We also wanted to experience working embedded in a design team.
How did you come up with the design for the sculptures?
It was a long process that started with several engagement sessions with children. Then, we used what we learned in those sessions to create three art concepts that were shown to stakeholders and the general public, including additional engagement with kids. Finally, we took all the input to refine the preliminary art concepts into a final design.
Can you elaborate on your “Head, Heart, and Hands” philosophy when it comes to public art?
We are artists and makers who believe public art should help us connect with our emotions, memories, and each other. So, we create the concept and design and fabricate the work ourselves to achieve that. Each aspect of the fabrication of our work is labour-intensive and hands-on, and it gives our installations the warmth of human touch that connects with the public. We put our heads, hearts, and hands into our work, and this approach authentically engages a diverse audience and produces meaningful art that stands the test of time.
These pieces are designed to connect to the artwork at Centennial Plaza. How do you envision these two artworks working together?
They share a common aesthetic and are based on the same concept. Therefore, people will easily identify them as part of the same group. Although both installations can be experienced individually, they create a world of their own when connected. We wanted to make real the idea that the library is a portal of imagination, and through it, the children’s own stories about the two sets of sculptures connect the two locations.
Tell us more about your experience collaborating with Child Friendly Edmonton on this project? How did this collaboration influence the artwork?
The research the Child-Friendly Initiative had previously done on types of play helped guide us on what children needed from each location for the art. Then we designed our engagement process to reveal what children want and need from public art meant for them. It worked, and we learned invaluable information from the kids we used to create our concept. The whole project involved collaborating with several stakeholders and interpreting sometimes conflicting needs. We had to consider our findings, the site, many other stakeholders’ needs, and the CSA guidelines that needed to be followed and make it art while we were at it. It was challenging, but we believe we did it.
What was the process like for you as artists to design a work that is meant to appeal to the sense of exploration and play of children?
It was one of the highlights of the project. We deeply enjoyed our engagement with the children and were fascinated by what we found out in our research. Children love when something is not prescribed so they can come up with multiple and changing interpretations. This is the reason we called them “Could-be(s).” We found it was this unexpected factor that really engaged children’s imaginations. We wanted to deliver an installation allowing children to explore the work’s open-endedness and weirdness freely. They were in our minds all the time during the design process.
About the artists
Erin Pankratz
Born in Inuvik, NWT, Erin lives and works in Edmonton, AB. She studied Art ‑Sculpture at the Alberta College of Art and Design and has received several grants and awards, including the 2013 & 2016 Innovation in Mosaics Awards by the Society of American Mosaic Artists and the 2021 Edmonton Artists’ Trust Fund.
She is a frequent lecturer and guest artist at international events. Her numerous exhibitions include Rencontres Internationales de Mosaïque in Chartres, France; Trans-Position: An Ancient Medium in a Contemporary World, in Seattle, WA; Contemporary Mosaic Exhibition in Kyoto, Japan; and MUSIWA18, in Florence, Italy.
Her work has been repeatedly featured in the prestigious Mosaïque Magazine, and it can be found in private and corporate collections in Canada, the United States, Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Australia, and Italy.
Personal website: erinpankratz.com
Christian Pérès Gibaut
Born in Buenos Aires, Argentina, he has a BA in Social Sciences and Humanities. He worked for many years as a Project Manager before starting a career in the arts in 2011. He specialized in mosaics — teaching, lecturing, and participating in several international events.
In 2016, he assisted in a large public art project in the US, helping create a series of concrete and mosaic sculptures. He began painting in 2017 and moved to Canada later that year.
He has been awarded several grants from the Canada Council for the Arts and the Edmonton Arts Council to explore ideas of Identity, Immigration, Language, Meaning, and Estrangement. He shows his work regularly, and in 2022, the Alberta Foundation for the Arts acquired one of his paintings for its permanent collection.
Personal website: christianperesgibaut.com
