Stir Q&A: Multidisciplinary artist Benjamin Lumb on stonemasonry, planetary health, and his latest installation, Hyperion—Titan of Light
The founder of Benjamin Lumb Art House (BLAH) worked with tangled bars of steel for his most recent large-scale piece
Benjamin Lumb’s Hyperion—Titan of Light is 14 feet tall and weighs 11 tons. Photo by Benjamin Lumb
BENJAMIN LUMB IS a North Vancouver-born and -raised multidisciplinary installation artist, sculptor, and photographer. He founded Benjamin Lumb Art House (BLAH) to showcase not only his works but also those by emerging, mid-career, and established Canadian artists.
Starting July 23, Lumb will be featured in a group show called Non-Fungible alongside artists Pablo Zamudio and Peter Taylor at BLAH at Shop the Block presented by Grosvenor (at Brentwood, 2150 Alpha Avenue, in Burnaby). Lumb also currently has an exhibition at BLAH at Grosvenor Ambleside (1370 Marine Drive, West Vancouver).
Made of reclaimed rebar, ship chain, concrete, and neon, his newest installation, Hyperion—Titan of Light, is 14 feet tall and eight feet wide and weighs 11 tons. Its tangled mass of steel alludes to density, overpopulation, and unsustainable growth while the rays of light emanating from its centre reflect humanity’s ability to overcome challenges that threaten its interdependence with the world.
Stir caught up with Lumb to hear more.
Stonemasonry unleashed your creative streak. What was it about working with stone that appealed to you?
When I was 20 years old, someone asked me to build them a stone wall. The money was good, but the work was hard. Somehow I liked the stubborn and hard nature of the stone. I chose the stone as my teacher to better understand raw material. Somehow I knew the stone would unlock the powerful creative forces within me. Working with stone I was always possessed to create the most beautiful forms possible regardless of my time and compensation. In this way I was able to develop my creativity that would inevitably cross over to other mediums and ideas.
How is Hyperion—Titan of Light a departure from past pieces, if at all?
My new work Hyperion is not so much a departure from past work but an evolution. Like the majority of my work, it was inspired by my environment. Specifically, the piece was inspired by the giant nest of rebar that is at the centre of the work, which was ripped from the concrete of a parking tower that was once located at 733 Seymour Street. It quickly brought to my mind the unsustainable ways we build cities and the changes we need to make within our civilization to be in balance with the natural world and our exploding population. The neon glass bent to mimic the rebar’s form represents the light within us that can inspire and inform this change. The breaking chain signifies the boundless and unstoppable power we all have within us that nothing can hold back.
It was really conceived of to be shown in the dark. Viewing it in a dark environment makes a big difference to the feeling to piece and the shadow. It’s hard to find indoor spaces to put this in because it’s so huge. [Hyperion—Titan of Light will be on display outside the BLAH exhibition space in Burnaby.]
What can you tell us about your other show, a multidisciplinary exhibition with photos, video installation, sand fort, and more?
The exhibition Driftwood is a solo show currently open in my West Vancouver gallery. This show considers the multiple contexts of the objects around us and the very serious issue of our oceans’ and planet’s temperature increase, which as you may know has recently killed off billions of shellfish.
The genesis of the show was inspired by a photo I took about six months ago of various objects that my daughters collected on the beach. We brought them back to the gallery and placed them on a glass table randomly; the colour composition combined with the nature of the objects… Just everything about it, I just fell in love with it. It was a neat kaleidoscope into our environment and the way we’re treating it: there was garbage, flowers, shells, paper clips, very odd items. It showcased the industrialness of our environment.
The West Vancouver gallery has been generously hosted for over two years by Grosvenor Americas and has exhibited six group shows featuring Madison Tyrell, Pierre Coupey, Tiko Kerr, Lam Wong, Susanna Blunt, Johhny Tayor, Attilio Fiumarella, Dina Goldstein Marcus Bowcott, Chris Cooper, and Kristen Man.
For more information, see BLAH.
This interview has been lightly condensed and edited.
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