A new exhibition at the Kelowna Art Gallery invites the community to step out of their lives for a moment and step on a set.
The exhibition entitled “Nothing to Do” by Kelowna-based artist Melany Nugent-Noble is inspired by the minimal set design of Samuel Beckett’s play “Waiting for Godot”. The play, which premiered in Paris in 1953, is about two characters – Vladimir and Estragon – who wait under a tree on a country road for Godot, who never arrives.
There have been numerous interpretations of “Waiting for Godot” and while there was never a consensus on its meaning, it is noted that Beckett was inspired by Caspar David Friedrich’s painting “Two Men Looking at the Moon”, created around 1820-25 has been.
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Melany Nugent-Noble’s atmospheric installation, which is staged in the inner courtyard of the gallery in the heart of the building, refers both to the scene described in the play and to the painting with a large replica moon hanging low in the sky next to a ridged oak (if also with roots in resin).
Nugent-Noble hopes that the installation will be a “haven for the imagination – a focal point of contemplation where one is allowed to let one’s thoughts wander in the direction of adventure, possibility and the unknown”.
From August 8 to August 2021 there is nothing to do here for a year.
Melany Nugent-Noble is a Kelowna based artist. Her work responds to the political and social character of public space and takes various forms, including community-oriented installations. She holds an MFA from Emily Carr University of Art and Design in Vancouver (2015) and was recently selected as the City of Kelowna’s First Artist in Residence (2020).
The Kelowna Art Gallery is located on 1315 Water Street in the heart of the downtown cultural district. For more information, visit www.kelownaartgallery.com or call 250-762-2226.
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Daniel Taylor
Reporter, Kelowna Capital News
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