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A recent collaboration with celebrated artist Tadasu Takamine brought 15 students from �鶹��Ƶ (�鶹��Ƶ) to the Vancouver Art Gallery (VAG) for a for an audience of more than 130 onlookers.

Titled , the performance was directed by Tadasu and included students in a range of roles, including plasterer, performer, reader and life model.

��It was an intensive project that put their skills to use in unexpected ways,�� says artist and �鶹��Ƶ faculty member , who teaches in the Sculpture + Expanded Practices program at �鶹��Ƶ and facilitated student involvement in the VAG performance.

��It was a real-world extension of what we do in the Sculpture program,�� she continues. ?��It put their technical skills and training in contemporary art practice toward a meaningful, experiential purpose, and gave them access to understanding how they can apply what they learn in school in a professional context.��

Tadasu was brought to the VAG as part of a program organized by curator-in-resident Makiko Hara. Participants were recruited through a campus-wide open call, with students from across disciplines selected for the performance. Artist and �鶹��Ƶ faculty member (MFA 2022) contributed as an assistant. The project and students�� participation were supported by �鶹��Ƶ through an NSERC Mobilize Grant.

��One of the things we try to do �� and what this grant is aimed at �� is demystifying what it means to participate and collaborate at this level,�� Emily says. ��Students got to meet and work with acclaimed practitioners at one of the province��s premier institutions. It was beneficial and, I think, eye-opening for them to see how many people need to work together to make something happen.��

The VAG event marked the Canadian debut of Sculptural Rebirth ��Ƥ�ď���.

��During the performance, six students are covered in plaster while they sit and draw a posed model,�� reads the exhibition text. ��When the plaster has set, they break free and emerge, suggesting the experience of transformation as one sheds an ill-fitting skin and moves on to a new phase of life.��

Fourth-year Sculpture major participated as a plasterer, covering her peers in plaster and giving a short, improvised speech. She reports initially feeling nervous, but notes Tadasu, Makiko and their respective teams worked hard to ensure she and her peers felt grounded and ready.

��It was great to be in an environment with professionals, seeing all the organization that goes into it and how important clear communication is to the work,�� Rachel says. ��They treated us kindly and made us feel like we were professionals rather than students. It made me excited to do more performances in the future.��

Fourth-year Painting major had worked previously as a life model and was cast in that role for Sculptural Rebirth. She says she drew encouragement from the deep humanity she encountered working with the accomplished practitioners.

��Takamine is a very established artist, yet he has quite a light touch,�� she says. ��We were making an artwork, but there was also space to have fun together. Plus, we got to get to know our professor in an off-campus capacity, and I met a lot of curators and other good people. It felt like a good way to begin breaking into that scene.��

Fourth-year Visual Arts student participated as a performer. He says the experience brought him into contact with corners of the arts community that had previously felt distant while also offering a chance to reconnect with himself.

��It can be hard to know what goes on at a place like the Vancouver Art Gallery, so it just feels abstract. Being part of this whole process let me understand and feel comfortable in that space,�� he says. ��Collaborating with so many awesome people made me want to do more collaborative work in the future. It also reminded me not to forget the reason I initially wanted to pursue art �� not to lose that spark. I feel grateful to be a part of it.��

Read more about the performance and artists and .