Adriana Kuiper and Ryan Suter have been working together for almost five years, creating ephemeral and contextual public works. Their work focuses on the vernacular strategies humans develop to protect themselves
from the forces of nature, or at least to nourish a sense of security. Tinkering with found materials or ideas related to the site in which they work—from histories to personal narrative—they shape interactive sound installations they call “readymade rural.”
Drift/Dérive
Adriana and Ryan’s intervention will consist of two elements, one fixed, the other movable. Fascinated by the winds that constantly blow across the Islands, the artists will build a shelter to be installed near the microbrewery À l’abri de la Tempête. Echoing the horns and headlights that once offered protection and guidance, this makeshift station will present itself to passersby as a temporary refuge. Visitors may record their stories (real or invented) of delusions (literal or metaphorical). At the same time, the artists will manufacture a miniature transmission tower, which they will migrate here and there across the territory to broadcast the collected stories.
Adriana Kuiper and Ryan Suter have collaborated since 2010, exploring both artists’ interests in public installation, sound and electronics.
Adriana Kuiper is an installation artist who lives and works in Sackville, New Brunswick. Her work explores modified, hidden architectural structures intended to provide safety from extreme forces, natural or otherwise. Provisionally built structures found in the local landscape and adaptations of existing, do-it-yourself shelters and small buildings form the basis of her practice. Outdoor public installations of her work have been show recently at Struts Gallery (Sackville), Nocturne (Halifax), Art in the Open (Charlottetown), Nuit Blanche (Toronto) and at Dalhousie University (Halifax). Her work has been shown across Canada in Kitchener, Oakville, Vancouver and Calgary, and has been exhibited internationally in Oslo, Norway. Kuiper is a faculty member at Mount Allison University, where she teaches sculpture and drawing.
Ryan Suter is a multi-media artist living and working in Sackville, New Brunswick. He recently presented new media work as part of Halifax’s Nocturne Art at Night festival, as well as at Struts Gallery’s Not A Standard Appliance exhibition. Ryan also works in collaboration with his partner, Adriana Kuiper; together they have exhibited at the Confederation Centre for the Arts (Charlottetown), the University of Saskatchewan Art Gallery and the Odd Gallery (Dawson City). Ryan is a regular part-time faculty member at the Nova Scotia College of Art and Design and is currently manager of Faucet Media Arts in Sackville. He holds a BFA from the University of Ottawa and an MFA from the University of Guelph.
Songlines 