Fossils from the Future

Fossils from the Future was a public art project created by artist Johann Wessels and presented by the Kelowna Art Gallery. The project comprised a total of nine works that began to first appear in the downtown area of Kelowna, specifically in the Cultural District. The initial piece was installed in early September 2015 with successive pieces installed in the downtown area until January 2016. The project ended late August 2016.

 

THE PROJECT


Fossils from the Future is a public art project created by artist Johann Wessels and presented by the Kelowna Art Gallery. The project comprises a total of nine works that began to first appear in the downtown area of Kelowna, specifically in the Cultural District. The initial piece was installed in early September 2015 with successive pieces installed in the downtown area until January 2016.

The underlying idea of this public art project is for pedestrians to come across strangelooking, intriguing, and mysterious objects that have attached themselves to light standards or other structures. Have these objects really been sent to our present time from the future? Or are they some sort of hoax? People will start thinking, and their usual sense of “reality” will be slightly altered.

Pedestrians encountering one of the objects will find a metal label located nearby that offers information specific to that piece and also a question or suggestion for how they might engage further. People are encouraged to use the hashtag #futurefossils and to join the conversation – snap a photo, tweet about it, post on facebook, or even film their own video. The hope is that a lively discussion will ensue.

The artist behind Fossils from the Future is Okanagan-based painter and bricoleur Johann Wessels. His work has been exhibited widely in South Africa, in the UK, and throughout the Okanagan. Wessels is the artist who created Side Show, an installation at the Kelowna International Airport that ran from November 2014 to May 2015. He is a mature artist with decades of experience, who is also highly creative, skilled, and talented.

Fossils from the Future has its serious side. What does our “stuff” say about our culture and time, and how will we be seen and judged by our own kind in the future? And why have the objects shown up in our own current time period? Could humans from the future be trying to warn us about something? Are our future selves trying to encourage us to alter the course of history?

Have you found them all? Click on Map for a PDF version

Join the conversation: #futurefossils

 

VIDEO


Published on 6 Sept 2016 | Kelowna Art Gallery

Published on 26 Jan 2016 | Shaw TV Okanagan

Published on 11 Dec 2015 | Kelowna Art Gallery

Published on 4 Dec 2015 | Kelowna Art Gallery

Published on 20 Nov 2015 | Kelowna Art Gallery

Published on 30 Oct 2015 | Kelowna Art Gallery

Published on 23 Oct 2015 | Kelowna Art Gallery

Published on 14 Oct 2015 | Kelowna Art Gallery

Published on 25 Sep 2015 | Kelowna Art Gallery

Published on 16 Sep 2015 | Kelowna Art Gallery

Published on 2 Sep 2015 | Kelowna Art Gallery

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