Nicole Brunel, Artist – T’karonto
Nicole Brunel uses sculpture, music, video, and coding to create spaces of alternate reality. These spaces are defined by mutability of identity, humour, and space-time. Their stories speak of similarities between non-binary gender, particle wave duality, and carabiners. Nicole is developing a new way of interpreting art that focuses on the physical and the literal for the purpose of turning fantasy into science. Their solo exhibition Every Worm Deserves a Mansion is on display at The New Gallery in Calgary until April 18.
- Electrical signal
I’ve been researching electronics and sound, and got really excited thinking about the physical qualities of electricity and how electrical signal could be approached in a sculptural way. I’m planning to incorporate more music into my art projects this year, which will likely include new ideas I have about synthesizers and quantum physics. I recently learned about VCVrack.com, which is a free modular synth simulator. I’m looking forward to messing with that program as well as making analogue synth circuits and playing with a fancy new Roland sampler that I bought.
- Intersectional scientific theory
I like my science theory with my social justice theory!! Karen Barad’s Meeting the Universe Halfway: Quantum Physics and the Entanglement of Matter and Meaning, Camae Ayewa and Rasheedah Phillips’ Black Quantum Futurism, and British independent magazine Living in the Future are some of my favourites.
- Magic Real-ish
A style of fiction where the fantasy level seems attainable. I have been mesmerized by recent films that I would at least loosely connect to the Magic Realism genre: Sorry to Bother You, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, and The Last Black Man in San Francisco. I always go back to Stalker by Tarkovsy; the Zone is my happy place. All-time fave comic book Garden by Yuichi Yokoyama is a more extreme fantasy physically, but socially it’s almost anti-fantasy so I will include it in this hit category.
This is my signature gum. People associate it with me. I injured my jaw from chewing two pieces at once, so now I’m back down to one slice at a time. I’m worried about the levels of aspartame in my body. I had a similar problem with Life Savers Pep O Mints. I was eating them like chips until my roommate had an intervention. If you can’t find me, just follow the trail of blue wrapper balls.
- Adults who still have a favourite animal
I find it very endearing. I love to learn about new animals, especially weird fish, too. Sometimes I get big headed and think I know every animal in the world, so I look at @snagfish or something like that on Instagram to stay humble. I’m a fan of the rat-forward artwork of Brennan Kelly. My favourite animal is Kirby.