Project Details

“LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) is a third-party certification program and an internationally accepted benchmark for the design, construction and operation of high performance green buildings. LEED Canada has transformed the way built environments are designed, constructed, and operated — from individual buildings and homes, to entire neighborhoods and communities.” —Canada Green Building Council

Over the last four years, my paintings have explored the relationship between nature and cities. Drawing inspiration from my own global travels and photographs, I have fused urban and natural worlds to suggest sustainable ideas for urban planning and development. My work has aimed to inspire professional urban planners to craft more sustainable plans for our communities. Recently, I have come to realize my “eco visions of the future” are not only fabrications, they are becoming a reality in communities all around the globe. More and more buildings are incorporating green roofs, rain gardens, solar energy, geothermal heating/cooling, urban agriculture, and LEED standards. The Great Canadian LEED-scape project will give me the opportunity to expose brilliant examples of sustainable development across my home country.

For The Great Canadian LEED-scape project I will travel by car, train, bus and plane across my home country to photograph sustainable buildings/surrounding landscapes. Between trips, I will return to my Toronto studio to design the panels in Photoshop and paint the piece with my spinning/dripping technique. Each panel will measure 45” x 60” and represent one province/territory. The order of the panels is determined by the location of each capital city, from west to east. Upon completion, the 13 panels form one large, Canadian, urban landscape painting. As I have done in the past, each panel will be documented with a short timelapse video. The videos will provoke conversation and allow the viewer to draw connections between my art process and urban planning—both of which involve building, designing, and shaping tomorrow’s sustainable city.

Progress

February 2013 – I painted the first panel (Alberta) of the project!
January 2013 – I flew to Alberta and photographed sites in Calgary and Banff.
December 2012 – I researched sustainable buildings in British Columbia, Alberta, Quebec, Newfoundland and Ontario.
April 2012 – I flew to British Columbia and photographed sites in Vancouver

Below is a list of locations I’m narrowing in on. If you have any suggestions, feel free to drop me a line:  amy@amyshackleton.com
British Columbia – Centre for Interactive Research on Sustainability (CIRS)
Alberta – Environment Experimental Learning Building (EEEL), Currie Barracks community
Ontario – Environment 3 Building, Earth Rangers Centre for Sustainable Technology
Quebec – La Maison du Developpement Durable
Newfoundland and Labrador – Shorefast Foundation

Support

Scenic designer and third-year graduate student Ryan Howell (left) and Canadian artist Amy Shackleton give a design presentation to CCM Theatre Design and Production students.

William Shakespeare’s A Midsummer Night’s Dream receives a colorful and refreshing update in the upcoming production at UC’s College-Conservatory of Music. Beginning with a preview performance on Oct. 3, audiences will be transported to the 1960s and will follow four lovers and some unfortunate “mechanicals” as their lives become the playthings of a band of fairies.

Director Michael Burnham wanted to take a new approach to a traditional piece and encouraged set designer and third year graduate student Ryan Howell to contact Canadian artist Amy Shackleton to collaborate on an original art piece for the show. With the help of CCM’s Division of Electronic Media, Amy Shackleton was filmed while painting the piece and the resulting footage will be used to create a backdrop that will paint itself as the story develops.

Amy Shackleton begins her painting with Theatre Design and Production students looking on. Amy’s original piece is featured in the October production of A Midsummer Night’s Dream and can be viewed in the Patricia Corbett Theatre lobby.

Amy Shackleton became famous in 2011 when she posted a YouTube video showing her unique drip-painting technique. She and Ryan Howell collaborated over how to use her style and technique to best represent Michael Burnham’s vision. When she visited Cincinnati to begin the project, Amy gave a demonstration of her painting technique to Theatre Design and Production students while filming the new piece that will be used as the backdrop in the show.

The actual artwork can be viewed in the Patricia Corbett Theater lobby along with a slideshow documenting Amy’s time spent in Cincinnati. Click here to see more of Amy Shackleton’s work.

Learn more about A Midsummer Night’s Dream here.

- Written by Melanie Guinto, a sophomore scenic design major originally from Reynoldsburg, Ohio.