VS3: Mark, A Dedicated Man of Fashion

The third installment of the Vernacular Series is Mark, A Dedicated Man of Fashion. This web-based project consists of two components commissioned by KW|AG: a visual and sound project by Wendy Morgan, and a play written and read by Don Druick.

The idea of the project came from Gallery curator Allan MacKay, who happened to notice Mark Gridgeman at various locations in the area, inevitably appearing in an imaginative fashion statement / costume of distinction. Inspired by Mark's ambidextrous approach to style, MacKay approached Mark to secure his interest in being the subject of a Vernacular Series project. Wendy Morgan, an area artist whose photographic work seemed to resonate with the project, was then invited to create a candid portrait of Mark and his personas.

Of the experience, Wendy Morgan states:

As the project unfolded the only parameters that I constructed were to ask Mark to dress differently for each photo session. I would take a series of pictures of whatever came up for us and record our conversation. As I was drawn into Mark's life through his stories and our experience together different themes and plots emerged, it was an intense emotional experience. Over time it also became clear that our roles as player and director were interchangeable.

Mark exemplifies the non-conventional, the outsider. Mark uses a vocabulary often associated with artists to turn an otherwise mundane decisions faced everyday (such as what to wear) into an eccentric and theatrical resistance against monotony. Observing Mark one can't help but be intrigued by the decadence and the detail present in each of his personas.

KW|AG strives to act as a catalyst in the community for developing artistic endeavours and creating new relationships. To achieve this we often invite an artist to become engaged in a project (and subsequently our community), and to respond to it in the vocabulary of their own artistic practice. Because the Mark Project explores the connection between persona and performance, ideas that are crucial to theatre, MacKay invited area playwright Don Druick to participate in the project. Inspired by Wendy Morgan's photographs, Druick's new play titled Mark; My Words creates challenging, absurdist vision of what Mark's personas might say to each other.

KW|AG gratefully acknowledges the support of the Ontario Arts Council.