{"id":372,"date":"2012-02-06T11:47:33","date_gmt":"2012-02-06T16:47:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/?p=372"},"modified":"2012-02-06T11:50:20","modified_gmt":"2012-02-06T16:50:20","slug":"collage-artists-mediaspheres-scopo-maniacs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/content\/articles\/collage-artists-mediaspheres-scopo-maniacs\/","title":{"rendered":"Collage Artists, Mediaspheres, & Scopo-maniacs"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"by Meaghan Thurston<\/strong><\/p>\n

Collage artists are \u201cscopo-maniacs\u201d \u2013 they\u2019re always scoping out the field for new images to snatch. They scrape images off walls. They squirrel away all kinds of things: trading cards, magazine advertisements, bookmarks, catalogues, letters, postcards, tickets, posters. Even airsickness bags, candy wrappers and matchbook covers make it into their collections. They file these \u2018visual artifacts\u2019, in some cases for years, before the thread of an idea for a particular collage may be nurtured in the artist\u2019s mind.<\/p>\n

Then they brandish their glue stick and make something new.<\/p>\n

The idea that collagists are obsessed with looking at images is ripped from an interview the Vancouver-born artist and collagist Roy Arden gave to Canadian Art. He describes himself as being afflicted with this particular malady and I am confident that most other collage artists are too. It gives them a special insight into the ever expanding visual cultures we live in. They know that candy wrappers, matchbook covers, or pages from ad flyers are already historical relics by the time they hit the sidewalk or take a dive into the trash can.<\/p>\n

While not everyone collects \u201cvisual artifacts\u201d with the intention of making a collage, most of us are collectors of the visual world by proxy. We pay money for magazines and newspapers. We get stuff in the mail that is meant to pique our visual interest. We wrap our food and bodies with graphics and logos. Then we throw most of it away.<\/p>\n

Kolaj editor Benoit Depelteau writes that \u201cbeing confronted with so many images every day makes us lose the ability to make links between them.\u201d A collage artist can be a guide of sorts to the visual mediasphere. They guide a discarded visual artifact on its way to becoming an art object. They teach us about images by tearing them apart and assembling the artifacts together in exciting, unexpected ways. They may tell a fading story, talk about social and political upheaval, or just satisfy the love we all have for images. The artist can talk about themselves, or crack visual jokes or make vulgar puns and we love them for it.<\/p>\n

Why Collage? Why Now? Because these visual cultures we live in send many messages, opposing frequently. A collage is a laboratory where images and texts from different localities and eras come together to speak a dialect all their own.<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

i<\/em>mage above: <\/em>Traditional Salutation Method by JP King<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

by Meaghan Thurston<\/h3>\n

\nCollage artists are \u201cscopo-maniacs\u201d \u2013 they\u2019re always scoping out the field for new images to snatch…A collage is a laboratory where images and texts from different localities and eras come together to speak a dialect all their own. <\/p>\n

Read more →<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":380,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[6,19],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-372","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-articles","category-meaghan-thurston"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/jp-king-Traditional-Salutation-Method-detail.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p2QTD7-60","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":115,"url":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/news\/special-pre-issue\/","url_meta":{"origin":372,"position":0},"title":"Special Pre-Issue: Why Collage, Why Now","author":"kasini","date":"11 February 2012","format":false,"excerpt":"Kolaj Magazine's Special Pre-Issue is now available Order Why Collage? Why Now? today!","rel":"","context":"In "Issues"","block_context":{"text":"Issues","link":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/category\/issues\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/Cover-Pre-Issue-web.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":329,"url":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/contributors\/meaghan-thurston\/","url_meta":{"origin":372,"position":1},"title":"Meaghan Thurston","author":"editor","date":"17 September 2011","format":false,"excerpt":"Meaghan Thurston was born in 1982 in Nova Scotia, Canada. She lives in Montreal and works in Montreal at McGill University. She also works as a writer and blogger. Her special interest in visual culture drives her writing practice and she regularly contributes to arts magazines, including The Rover: Montreal\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Contributors"","block_context":{"text":"Contributors","link":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/category\/contributors\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]},{"id":3285,"url":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/content\/collage-exhibitions\/enriched-bread-artists-22nd-annual-open-studio\/","url_meta":{"origin":372,"position":2},"title":"Enriched Bread Artists 22nd Annual Open Studio","author":"Christopher Byrne","date":"17 October 2014","format":"gallery","excerpt":"30 October-9 November 2014 Opening reception: Thursday, 30 October, 6-9PM Collage artists are well-represented at the Enriched Bread Artists 22nd Annual Open Studio in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada. The collagistes are: Meaghan Haughian, Joyce Westrop, Colette Gr\u00e9co-Riddle, and Juliana McDonald. In 1992, Ottawa's Standard Bread Factory was turned into a dynamic,\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Exhibitions"","block_context":{"text":"Exhibitions","link":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/category\/content\/collage-exhibitions\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/meaghan-haughian-after-snow-between-heaven-and-home.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/meaghan-haughian-after-snow-between-heaven-and-home.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/meaghan-haughian-after-snow-between-heaven-and-home.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/meaghan-haughian-after-snow-between-heaven-and-home.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":6776,"url":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/content\/collage-artists\/pop-culture-innocence-gone-horribly-wrong\/","url_meta":{"origin":372,"position":3},"title":"Pop Culture Innocence Gone Horribly Wrong","author":"Christopher Byrne","date":"7 April 2018","format":"gallery","excerpt":"COLLAGE ARTIST TRADING CARD SPOTLIGHT Spotlight on Collage Trading Card Artist Laurie Langford Chatham, Ontario collagist Laurie Langford inserts subversive humour into her installations to prick debate on contemporary gender expectations. Her mixed-media shadow boxes, collage, photography, and printmaking overwrite the conventions of sexuality, domesticity, family, history and the body.\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Artists"","block_context":{"text":"Artists","link":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/category\/content\/collage-artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/Langford-The-Real-Housewives-of-Beverly-Hills-detail.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/Langford-The-Real-Housewives-of-Beverly-Hills-detail.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/Langford-The-Real-Housewives-of-Beverly-Hills-detail.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/Langford-The-Real-Housewives-of-Beverly-Hills-detail.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":4698,"url":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/content\/collage-artists\/an-ardent-desire-to-express-something-in-particular\/","url_meta":{"origin":372,"position":4},"title":"An Ardent Desire to Express Something In Particular","author":"Christopher Byrne","date":"7 April 2016","format":"gallery","excerpt":"Spotlight on Collage Artist Trading Card Artist\u00a0Daniela Akerblom \"Using elements and images which I find in our everyday lives, I try to recreate something which most everyone will be able to connect to and understand. Many of these images have direct links to my life and experiences. I believe that\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Artists"","block_context":{"text":"Artists","link":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/category\/content\/collage-artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/Women_24x36_2009_sm.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/Women_24x36_2009_sm.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/Women_24x36_2009_sm.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/Women_24x36_2009_sm.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":5221,"url":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/content\/collage-artists\/the-only-beauty-left-in-this-reality\/","url_meta":{"origin":372,"position":5},"title":"The Only Beauty Left in This Reality","author":"Christopher Byrne","date":"16 September 2016","format":"gallery","excerpt":"COLLAGE ARTIST TRADING CARD SPOTLIGHT Luc Fierens in Collage Artist Trading Cards Pack 6 \u201cNetworked collagist and visual poet provocateur\u201d Luc Fierens\u2019 collage work emerged out of Poesia Visiva, Mail Art and Fluxus circles. His diverse practice focuses on language\/image as a raw material and the exploration of alternative forms\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Artists"","block_context":{"text":"Artists","link":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/category\/content\/collage-artists\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/reina-lr-luc-fierens.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/reina-lr-luc-fierens.jpg?resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/reina-lr-luc-fierens.jpg?resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-content\/uploads\/reina-lr-luc-fierens.jpg?resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]}],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/372\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/380"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/kolajmagazine.com\/content\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}