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| | ARTIST NAME: | Rock, Tyler | | ACCESSION NUMBER: | 2009.097.001 | | TITLE: | ALMIGHTY VOICE REDUX | | DATE: | 2009 | | CATEGORY: | Mixed Media | | MEDIUM: | glass, wood, found objects | | SUPPORT: | glass | | DIMENSIONS: | Actual: 47 x 23 x 23 cm (18 1/2 x 9 1/16 x 9 1/16 in.) | | COLLECTION: | Alberta Foundation for the Arts |
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| | OTHER HOLDINGS: | Rock, Tyler | | ARTIST BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH: | Tyler Rock is the co-owner, with Julia Reimer, of FireBrand Glass Studio, in Black Diamond, Alberta. Tyler graduated with distinction from ACAD in 1989, and has been an instructor there since 1995, including serving as Head of the Glass Program.
He has always been interested in boundaries and frontiers, whether in natural landscape or in the possibilities of glassware. His earlier work has explored vessel forms and edges, the borderline between sculpture and functionality, craft object and “a gate that might open anywhere”. When representing nature, he is inspired by Western Canada and its indigenous wildlife, but incorporates history, mythology and popular culture to create multi-media exhibits that include found objects, in order to tell a tale. Taking a more conceptual approach, Tyler has explored his home province’s history in his Frontier series (2010), creating pieces that reference the Almighty Thunder incident of the 1890s. The story, involving a young Cree man’s conflict with the NorthWest Mounted Police, divided communities, and still produces divergent readings. The black crow (a Cree symbol) is a recurring theme in these works, which comprise a series of glass domes covering small still-lifes. These include blown and sculpted glass, as well as found objects: mirrors, native prairie plants, maps, a dream-catcher, birds’ heads or wings, and religious reliquaries. These de-contextualized artefacts seem to question the apparent transparency of historical discourse. Rock has since completed an MVA (Research) at the University of South Australia, collaborating with local glass artists and further expanding his practice.
Tyler received the ACAD Alumni Award of Excellence (2002) and the Alberta Craft Council Award of Excellence (2009). He was selected to be Artist in Residence and instructor at the Corning Museum of Glass, New York. He has taught workshops and lectured at schools, studios and institutions in Canada, the US, Australia, New Zealand, Belgium, France, Spain and Japan. His work is contained in many private, corporate and public collections, including the private collection of Premier of Alberta, the offices of the Prime Minister in Ottawa and the Department of Foreign Affairs.
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