Casey Koyczan
Artist Story
I like to create large-scale installations that use different forms of media. I started studying installations during my second and third year of fine arts at Thompson Rivers University in Kamloops, BC. From the first time a piece of clay was put into my hands, I knew that I wanted to work with sculpture and installation, and make art that tests my physical and mental abilities. It allows my mind to expand into other areas that I don’t expect.
Nature is a big inspiration for me. I install in unique ways in order to give life to materials that are dead in nature; giving them a second chance at life. I start with a vision and then harvest the materials to suite the idea and concept, then look for locations that are able to house my idea. I’ve installed my art in Kamloops, Vancouver, Yellowknife, and have done audio performances in Toronto, Montreal, and most recently in Helsinki, Finland. I would eventually like to create and perform all across Canada and other parts of the world. I include experimental soundtracks with my artwork in order to give viewers another way to connect; triggering as many senses and emotions as possible.
My music is influenced by the North – the animals, culture, land and people. I tell stories or write songs that reflect different parts of my life. It is mainly what I classify as Electro-Rock, but it can span all over the place through multiple genres. I create all my music from scratch on-site, with multiple instruments and using a multi-phrase loop pedal that enables me to create these dynamic compositions.
Inspired by history, culture, and their interactions with the human world and technology, Casey Koyczan’s art seeks to bridge the gap between visual and audio interpretations of art, while pushing the recognition for aboriginal values and politics. His large-scale artworks provide compositional value and experimental techniques to achieve his unique aesthetic. Previous installations take on traits of amorphous beings that are invading or reclaiming space in modern architecture.
As a BFA graduate from Thompson Rivers University, his Northern background has been influential in the artwork that he creates. Throughout his education at TRU, he held a work-study position within the Fine Arts department, which increased his appreciation for installation, sculpture, photography, intermedia, and collaborative projects.
Casey is a part of Northern Sights, which is a 360 degree virtual reality project in collaboration with WAMP (Western Arctic Moving Pictures) aimed at helping Northern Artists broaden the reach of their art forms, in the face of geographical isolation from audiences, critical contexts, collaborators, and new technologies. For this project, Casey created a sculptural installation on the shore of Marian Lake. The installation is constructed not only to serve as a form of shelter in the future for local hunting, fishing, berry picking, and cookouts, but also serves as a stage, as Koyczan performs his brand of live-looping electro-alternative music within the shelter as his artist persona ‘The Bushman”, outputting his music to multiple speakers hung from trees spanning the area, interacting with the surrounding environment to create an experience influenced by the landscape.
Artist Gallery
