tor lukasik-foss

images:
protoscenia 1 (2009) beached plywood, metal
viking soliloquy chair (2008) reclaimed lumber, metal
this next song is very special (2008) reclaimed lumber, metal
the monotheatrum (2008) reclaimed lumber, reclaimed felt
metaphorical explanation of the zon crow repellant blaster (2006) zon crow blaster, MDF, sign enamel.

TOR ANSWERS OUR QUESTIONS:

what is your name and what medium(s) do you work in?
my name is tor lukasik-foss, i work in a fairly wide array of media, including reclaimed wood sculpture, aluminum sign fabrication, performance (under the stage name tiny bill cody), and other things. basically i am interested by the public sphere, how both our behaviour and language changes in open and communal environments. to this end, i've played a lot with public signage, and more recently been drawn to the creation of modified performance stages, spaces and structures which blur the boundaries between private and public.

what question do you wish would be asked in an interview and how would you answer it?
the question that i want asked of me is the one where the interviewer interprets something really intelligent or poetic about my work that i had never considered, and then asks me to elaborate upon it.
i answer these questions by completely taking credit for the interviewer's insight. it's wrong of me, but i can't help it.

why art? and why art in hamilton?
i'm married to an awesome woman who's a feminist activist director of a sexual assault centre, so there are lots of times where the question 'why art' comes up for me, particularly when she's out saving the world and i'm holed up somewhere trying make neat pictures. but thinking it through i've ended up believing that art is this absolutely holy part of culture, a reservoir in which we store and cultivate our humanity. for me, it is very much a faith, one which i struggle to maintain, but one which has also frequently made me feel like there are light beams coming from my head.

as for hamilton, i love this city's collaborative environment, love how it's out of the spotlight enough that it takes the pressure off working. you can make art in a way that doesn't have to be trendy, or precious or ego-manical. it's a delectably lo-fi town. and i love it. plus the bird-watching is great.


any wisdom you'd like to share about living as an artist?
get a flexible job that creates both money and time to allow you to work.
when you get that job, call me and tell me what it is so i can get it too.
also don't be bitter. it'll kill you and your work. unless your work is about bitterness.


Is there anything in your art that you are afraid people might discover?
tetnis.


more info on tor lukasik-foss at www.torlukasikfoss.com