White on White

The Exhibition White on White was mounted at the Gardiner Museum for Ceramic Art September 1997 through February 1998. Twenty ceramic artists from across Canada were asked to consider the theme white on white. Drawing on their varied interests and areas of ceramic exploration, the artists added a contemporary dimension to European and Far Eastern ceramic history. Responding to nature and our northern environment, the significance of memory and the layering of meaning, containment of space and the phsyical properties of clay were some of the compelling topics in the exhibition.

Philip Beesley designed and installed the exhibit lighting in collaboration with Paul Mathiesen and Kai Chan, exhibit designer. Lighting concentrated on amplifying subtle phenomena within the works. Translucency, shadow plays and subtle colorations were given particular focus. Extremely narrow beams of light were used, allowing jewel-like concentrations of illumination within the gallery.