I have been forging ahead this year, with many new experiences and projects...some of which are still developing and waiting to be unveiled. Since moving to Globe Studios, I noticed that I finally have the space I needed to truly unleash my creativity. You can see in my newest sculptures that some of the restraint from my earlier work has been shed.

My energy has also received an infusion of freshness after being exposed to artwork which is entirely different from my own.

This fall, I attended Nuit Blanche, a “night of mayhem” in Toronto with public art filling the downtown core. The highlight for me was the Stereoscope installation by the German group Project Blinkenlights, in which all of the windows on the concave side of City Hall were lit with lamps attached to wireless dimmer switches. These lights spoke to a central computer system, which fed animations and interactive classic arcade games to the building. The result was astonishing and breathtaking, watching two buildings transformed into a matrix of dancing images.

In November, I attended the grand re-opening of the Art Gallery of Ontario, and was completely saturated with art spanning across the centuries and the world. And, perhaps the most exciting part of the experience was being shoulder-to-shoulder with what Prime Minister Harper would call “ordinary Canadians” who were visibly enjoying the gallery-going experience, despite his personal perception of what an “ordinary Canadian” would enjoy.

From mid-January to mid-April next year, the work of Dutch engineer/artist Theo Jansen will roam the grounds of Hibiya Park in Tokyo. Jansen creates larger-than-life creatures out of pipes, which live on the beeches near his studio in The Hauge, in the Netherlands. These creatures are powered solely by wind, and even have mechanisms for storing the wind and disposing of the sand which collects in their joints. The first time I saw one of these majestic creatures in a video, clambering across the sand, I almost felt my heart palpitate. There is almost no way to describe the enchantment of watching something so skeletal move with such organic grace.

This is a call for support to help send me to Tokyo. I intend to make a pilgrimage there, bringing back not merely the excitement and wonder, but videos of the experience. The cost for travel and accommodations for a week is close to $2,500 $1,800 (price has been brought down thanks to better hotel recommendations!), plus food and the acquisition of a digital camcorder. All of the income from sales of my sculptures and notecards from this point onwards will go towards funding the pilgrimage, and I'll make up the difference on my own. If you don't see anything in my current collection that calls to you, feel free to contact me about commissioning a sculpture for after my return from Tokyo. Any letters of support are also greatly appreciated, as moral support is just as (if not more!) important than financial support.

Thank you for your ongoing support for my work.

Wishing you and yours a wonderful holiday season,

Julianna Yau