Bibliography
The Beat - Arts in London Magazine
January 2011
London Free Press
August 17, 2010
Online Review at The Beat-Arts in London
by Beth Stewart
Art by the Ton
The Arts Project, 203 Dundas Street
August 17-28, 2010
Walk into The Arts Project between now and August 28 and be prepared to say “wow.”
Metal artist Scott McKay has filled the north gallery with his innovative work.
For a portion of his work McKay uses stuff that has been discarded, abandoned or otherwise released, from its original use and repurposes it to create beautiful pieces of art. This makes him a bit of a poster boy for two of the three Rs of waste management: reuse and recycle. As for reduce, no; he takes and builds, often on a grand scale.
Another part of his work uses new materials.
Wandering through the forest of metal it is the creative use of items that formerly lead more utilitarian lives that catches your eye. Some are nameable – hook and pulley remnants, railroad spikes, and steel rebars – others fall under broader categories often described at hardware stores as thingamajigs, whatchamacallits and dohickys.
McKay’s subject matter runs the gamut from figurative to abstract with a decided emphasis on birds. His forged pieces are typically intended for indoor display, while those made of recycled materials long for the great outdoors.
Of the 30 plus works on display five are wall pieces, the remainder are floor or table top sculptures.
Two of the wall pieces are based on the Canadian flag; one a clever combination of 13 maple leafs and five four-bar stripes, is called “North American Flag,” the other which features multiple cookie-cutter style negatives of maple leafs is simple titled “Oh Canada.”
The densely packed form of “Daybreak Dreads,” a large freestanding sculpture of a crowing rooster, crackles with energy. Its breast feathers are repurposed railway spikes; its wings resemble dreadlocks borrowed from the head of the alien in the 1987 movie Predator.
Further back, “Shoeblade Sister” gives a nice nod to The Arts Project’s past life as Rowland Hill Shoes. The tall lyrically-shaped open figure sports a vintage shoe repair form for a head.
Art by the Ton is a show that will delight viewers of all ages, even those who normally run screaming at the mere suggestion of visiting a gallery.
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All Content Copyright © of Scott McKay 2006-2011