Latitude 53

Current

Bridget Moser | You Opened That Can Now Let’s Eat the Whole Thing

June 20 – August 17, 2019

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Opening reception | Thursday, June 20 at 7 pm

The Artist In performance | THURSDAY, JUNE 20 AT 8:30 PM

Artist Talk with maeve hanna | Saturday, June 22 at 2 pm

Read a response to Moser’s opening night performance by Preston Pavlis

Read the exhibition text by Maeve Hanna

You Opened That Can Now Let’s Eat the Whole Thing is a new project by interdisciplinary artist Bridget Moser that considers the limitations of self-soothing, the potential deficiencies of wellness, and the implications of finishing what you started. Conceived during her two-month residency at SPACES in Cleveland, Ohio, the exhibition will feature an installation with video works, various retail and commercial objects and a 26-minute performance. You Opened That Can Now Let’s Eat the Whole Thing will be presented across Latitude 53’s two gallery spaces, marking the first time Moser’s work has been shown in Edmonton. 

Moser’s translation of the exhibition into a Canadian context will allow for her interest in malls to expand into Edmonton’s own mega-mall psyche. The Cleveland Mall was a preliminary site of research for Moser, and although more of a large public park than a shopping mall, the homonymic connection between the Cleveland Mall and shopping malls framed this project. While in Cleveland, Moser discovered three ‘dead malls’—abandoned and eventually demolished former shopping centres that were, in the last year alone, replaced with massive Amazon fulfillment centres.

Through her absurd and morph-able material choices, many of which are sourced from Amazon, Moser raises the question of the validity of physical retail spaces and the implications of her own work within this. In a city heavily defined by its mall, Moser considers the psychological implications of living in the shadow of a slowly-fading entity. However, at the centre of her investigation lies an absurdist humour, in which a pink inflatable coffin provides her a suitable resting place from the complexities of contemporary life.

The following is a selected list of contributing factors to these new works, many of which were acquired from Amazon:

  • Nayoya Back Hook Massager

  • Knockoff platform Crocs

  • The Original Boyfriend Body Pillow™

  • Shiatsu Neck Massager

  • SKLZ AccuStick - Lightweight and Portable Self-Massager

  • Yiding U-Shaped Manual Massage with Fitness Massage Balls

  • StarALL Self Massage Tool Muscle Fatigue Relief Stick

  • Therawell DIY Foot Massager Therapy Tool

  • Pink Coffin Float 

  • Women's 2 Piece Sweatsuit Set Crop Hoodie and Pants

  • Smile! Yellow Favor Bags, 9 x 6 inch

  • Betan Magic Wine Bottle Rope Lasso Holder

  • Golden Eagle Trimline Corded Telephone

  • Reusable Silicon Mask Cover

  • HDE Women's Mid-Rise Stretchy Relaxed Fit Cropped Jeans Denim Capri Pants Mint

  • Lookathot Feather False Eyelashes Eye Lashes

  • Reebok Women's Princess Aerobics Shoe, White

  • Viva Naturals Aromatherapy Essential Oil Diffuser

  • Therapeutic-grade bergamot and lavender essential oils for relaxation

  • Two hand-knit sweaters I made as a means of stress relief in my personal life

  • Ham Face Girl

  • The Sopranos season 6 episode 2, original air date March 19, 2006

  • Pete Weber, professional bowler, spontaneous victory rant on February 26, 2012

  • True autobiographical details (watching a young boy caress a Roomba robotic vacuum cleaner in 2018; a very bad experience at the Backdraft attraction at Universal Studios Hollywood in 1996; etc.)

  • Dead malls, or dying malls

  • Pagliacci and the aria performed by the great sad tragic clown, Canio

  • Safe, the 1995 Todd Haynes film

This project is generously supported by SPACES in Cleveland, OH.

Bridget Moser is a performance and video artist whose work combines prop comedy, experimental theatre, performance art, absurd monologue, existential anxiety and intuitive dance. She has presented work in venues across Canada, including the Art Gallery of Ontario, Mercer Union, the Art Museum at the University of Toronto, Oakville Galleries, Vancouver Art Gallery, MSVU Gallery, and Western Front. She has presented projects throughout the US and Europe and has been a resident artist at Fondazione Antonio Ratti in Como, Italy, and visiting faculty at The Banff Centre. Her work has been featured in Canadian Art, C Magazine, Art in America, Artribune Italy, The Dance Current, NOWNESS, and a collaborative publication with other Fondazione Antonio Ratti residents published by Mousse Magazine. She was shortlisted for the 2017 Sobey Art Award.

Michelle Schultz