Whittyn Jason Installation: The Generator

This work of art was created by Whittyn Jason in response to the play The Generator by Josh Languedoc and was commissioned by the Silver Skate Festival in 2023 with support from the Edmonton Arts Council.

The installation transforms a stretch of trail into a work of art you can walk through. Mirroring the story on which it is based, the installation has a ‘water side’ and an ‘industry side’ which come together at a point of convergence denoted by the colour of the lights. These lights are found in the treetops and on the ground where they illuminate and reflect off of snow, branches, and the bodies moving along the trail. In addition, the installation features ice forms specially cast and coloured with all-natural dyes. These ice forms are placed on the path alongside the lights – both on the ground and suspended from trees. Thus, these works of ice-art end up above and below the spectators. As they are hit by sunlight and as the weather warms and cools, the ice melts and refreezes, offering a durational, evolutional element to the artwork meaning no two visits will ever be the same.

Whittyn says of their work: I aim to complement Languedoc’s work by using  light, ice, natural dyes, repurposed/found items, and the element of time to tell the story of his folk tale. Visitors are able to enter from either ends of the trail and walk to where community and industry meet beneath garlands of repurposed materials. Using ice means that the installation shifts due to the changes in temperature, exacerbated by rapid industrialization.

Whittyn Jason is a scenographer and lighting designer based in amiskawaciy. In their theatre work, they aim to bring elements of nature and installation into traditional and unconventional spaces. In their installation work, they aim to incorporate theatricality and their love of light design. With ‘The Generator’, they wanted to experiment with temporal and natural elements like ice melting/refreezing due to the weather cycle to illustrate effects of industrialization, as well as to animate the folk trail itself and give it a life cycle of its own.