Irisation of Laughter

Karin Millson
Salt Spring Island, BC

Size

42" x 42" x 31"

Medium

Mixed media: threads, silver metal

“Irisation of Laughter” is my fourth large installation to consider the human condition through art and science.

In 2019, I began winding and hand-stitching coloured, tiny spheres. It was inconceivable then that these design elements, selected to explore positive emotions, could be suggestive of a, as yet unknown, threatening virus.

As I worked, I became fascinated with unintended consequences: a viewer’s response was affected by their sometimes negative evolving life experiences.

Through process thinking, I drew hope into the work: silver-lined cloud formations instill positivity whilst, in extremes, white light splits—encouraging joy and optimism.

Irisation of Laughter

Karin Millson
Salt Spring Island, BC

About the artist
About the artist

Karin Millson
Salt Spring Island, BC

Karin Millson is a conceptual, mixed-media artist with a doctorate in Micropalaeontology and a Master Craftsman’s Qualification (London’s City & Guilds).

When working on subjects seemingly distant from the natural world, she cannot help but produce pieces that viewers say echo Ernst Haeckel’s drawings or could be deep-sea discoveries.

She asks the viewer to: “Find meaning in my sculptures by incorporating your worldly knowledge and infinite imagination.”

Her work has been exhibited/sold internationally and supported by the Omani Society for Fine Arts, the Salt Spring Arts Council, and the Canada Council for the Arts. Her dream: To see her works scaled-up, displayed in a domestic, corporate, or public space.

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