(un)resolving liminality // Aly K. Benson
An interpretive essay on Jordan Hill’s exhibition, The Missing Distance, written by Aly K. Benson.
"Empathy becomes exhausting through the unrelenting nature of capitalism, and those in-between spaces prey on that exhaustion."
- Jordan Hill
Installation view of Horizontal Vertigo in the Main Gallery, 2024.
Where Duality Lives
In an evergrowing world, with each passing chance for advances to take over, we as a people expand our abilities, and our minds have no option but to choose a narrowed lane of focus. To better state, yet paradoxically: as the world gets bigger, it gets smaller.
There's an overwhelming amount of information readily available at our fingertips, so how could we ever grasp a sliver of the infrastructure humans have designed for ourselves? Is there no option but to accept the mirage of information forced into our lives even if we do not consent to engage with it?
It is no secret that people want answers to these and so many more unending questions. Instancy contributes a large part in the social structure of our lives, with accessibility being misconstrued as availability—all because globalization has created the ability to shorten wait times. We try with care to accommodate it all, to recognize as much as possible, as quickly as possible, to match or surpass others' awareness and unlock more access while being forced to dismiss unfathomable amounts of overflowing information. How can we expect to hold and absorb all this knowledge in this unending cycle?
These overarching themes, interpreted in Jordan Hill's exhibition The Missing Distance, delve into the tedious sections that live between, tie together the realities of facades, and juxtapose the obscurity of transparency. Hill's Horizontal Vertigo and Peripheral Loading are thought-provoking explorations of the spaces of duality through new media, specifically in recognizing gratification found in societal immediacy—all the while contrasting and blending exhaustion and empathy.
Detail of Peripheral Loading, Main Gallery, 2024.
The two 3D rendering animation video installations, Horizontal Vertigo and Peripheral Loading Hill, reminds us to criticize and enjoy moments of the 'in-between.' In modernity, there is no actual point A or point B; instead, what is it to live in the now? Is it the value of time spent or the recognition of transitional spaces? Are the only options honest or lies, or is there something left unwritten that still needs to be acknowledged? It is not concrete condos or untouched forests that go kilometres past their fronts but the appreciation for the land we stem from, now. And, more difficultly, do we love or hate the advancements and development we have created for ourselves?
“The artist urges viewers to actively engage with the in-between moments and spaces he presents, or peripheral wallpapers, as he refers to them. His work invites us to slow down and immerse ourselves in these often overlooked halfway points.”
These ‘in-between’ spaces Hill spotlights carry weight and meaning within the exhibition's physical transitions and encourage viewers to visit places of contemplation and reflection. Here, we can critique how we flatten space and experiences into wallpaper-like states. Hill fights against this flattening, encouraging observers to notice details and spend time in the now. Hill contributes to the conversation of global interconnectedness and reduces the distance linking people, cultures, and encounters, but more importantly, emphasizes how this can also flatten the depth of our engagement with them.
The artist urges viewers to actively engage with the in-between moments and spaces he presents, or peripheral wallpapers, as he refers to them. His work invites us to slow down and immerse ourselves in these often overlooked halfway points.
Horizontal Vertigo. Image courtesy of the artist.
In A Big World, A Small Village Resides
"I come from a community that you could drive by in seconds and not know existed."
- Jordan Hill
Can our society truly be transparent? Has honest information been morphed into its opposite definition through curated deliveries? Hill invites reflection on modernity by weaving virtual and physical works while questioning how knowledge can be very surface-level. Inspired by Byung-Chul Han's "The Transparency Society" concepts, there is a formidable theme that facades are no longer just decorative fronts—they now hide as much as they reveal.
Building from Han's theories, we are reminded by this exhibition that though there may be transparency in modern capitalistic tendencies, everything can be visible, but meaning becomes obscured too quickly. Facades juxtapositional encourage and discourage us to look into what is beyond and what meets the eye - it is here Hill's themes of time and physical distance become relevant as he reflects on the human tendency for the need to hunt for more in the unseen and the beyond.
“… we are reminded by this exhibition that though there may be transparency in modern capitalistic tendencies, everything can be visible, but meaning becomes obscured too quickly.”
Imagine standing at a viewpoint overlooking the scenic ocean with a light breeze on your face. You walk past this place every week on your way home from grocery shopping. It is not secluded from the world or remote from the town's bustle. In fact, there are buildings in your eyesight, but the beauty of the open water still hits you every time you take that moment. One day, when you pass by your spot like you always have, you notice the construction of an apartment building. Quickly, the sight you adored so much slowly became blocked. Eventually, with time passing, you no longer stop to find serenity there - you even begin to question that location's significance and reality in its entirety. When did the construction zoning signs go up? Does the ocean even exist behind concrete walls? Who owns the structure? Do the residents have affordable living conditions? Was this a spot for the community and not just yourself?
The Missing Distance, Main Gallery, 2024.
This was a scene described by the T'Sou-ke, emerging artist Jordan Hill, who fights the flattening of space and enjoyment of being observant. He detailed his experience with the development near his home near Dartmouth and Halifax. In detailing the scenario, Hill stated that situations like this raise many questions about how our world prospers when feeding non-consented settings and the endless questions that can sprout from small yet significant passing moments. Like his works, this leaves one to ask, are we always "on" due to global interconnectedness? Is time for true rest a facade itself?
In The Missing Distance, the exhibit subtly highlights the sliding dissidence that lags our intake and outtake of life's details. As an artist, Hill sets a precedent for indigeneity in contemporary spaces, representing the contrast of contemplation of urbanization and colonial impacts compared to traditional practices of observing our relationships with respecting time, space and our environments. For many Indigenous artists, there is no universal theory or framework to adhere to—their works are inspired by individual anecdotes, personal and communal histories, and experiences, all of which tie back to our ancestors' core teachings and ways of living. Like many others, Hill creates a modern execution of connectedness, brought forth in the messaging of his works - though it may not be at the forefront of applied motifs.
Peripheral Loading, Main Gallery, 2024.
Interacting With Innocence & Facades As A Medium
Have you ever been walking with a friend, or family member and each of you remember different specifics of the environment you went past? Say it is a forest front. Your companion remembers the type of trees, how many steps it look to venture alongside it and the one dog who passed by you. However, when you reminisce, you recall a broken branch still hanging off of the trunk with all its might. The squirrels brushed up towards the sky and the light symphony of the timberland. It is as if both of you were looking through two completely different camera lenses powered by the individual designation of what is significant or not. This in itself is the epitome of Hill's narrative, which dissects the balance of always being available or 'on,' though there is a more profound engagement that accessibility requires. The 3D animation video installations Horizontal Vertigo and Peripheral Loading encourage viewers to focus on overlooked details, liminal spaces, and fleeting moments.
Persistent exhaustion builds from the constant pursuit of immediacy and an abundance of untrappable information, especially when viewing his works. Observers are introduced to contemplate the human tendency to need to know all in a very unfathomable, unknowable world. Influences such as Jonathan Crary’s book 24/7 contribute to Hill’s artistic practice, which is reflected by the artist emphasizing society's obsession with instant gratification via immediacy. There is an understanding of the pressure of round-the-clock motions in his works as he pushes us to find tranquillity in the stationary - and reminds us that this can be far less achievable than one would hope.
“Duality becomes so relevant in traditional influences tied into the presentation of these works, yet it is put forward by Hill's personal theory with the application of mediums he so strongly critiques.”
When first entering the gallery space, visitors begin exploring personal and societal anxiety, resulting from obligatory connections in the contrast of the works. Two large aluminum PVC rear projections held together by shark-tooth scrim introduce Horizontal Vertigo and what can be initially observed as a picturesque highway treeline. It is paired with Peripheral Loading's aluminum fences, polarized film, and monitors, which focus on the subject of unnatural materials and construction sites. In Jordan Hill's unique case of theory application, facades are not subject to the relativity of the 3D-rendered structures created nor the concealing of true messages. Instead, they are a medium used by those who care to delve into understanding our world's disordered contractions.
Duality becomes so relevant in traditional influences tied into the presentation of these works, yet it is put forward by Hill's personal theory with the application of mediums he so strongly critiques. The Missing Distance is a juxtaposition in itself; as individual works, as well as how they speak to each other's themes and subject matters. Hill once described many viewers' interpretations of the works as ‘gloomy,’ though they create a playful ambience that’s difficult not to interact with. Specifically, walking between the sections of Horizontal Vertigo is difficult for one not to find delight engaging with, though it may be a naive delight. The methodology here speaks to how easy it can be for innocence to be found in the joyful, all the while much deeper corrupt circumstances can be present.
Jordan Hill reflects the larger sectionality of emerging artists who challenge the immediacy of modern life, pushing for deeper, slower engagement with our environments. Hills' earlier works in animating brutalist environments started the exploration of blending virtual and physical realities. Specifically, in this exhibition, the artist hones in on this methodology while on expanding what lies within the blurry boundaries of what is real and what our reality constructs.
Aly K. Benson (AKB) is a biracial Cree writer, strategist, and multimedia artist currently residing on the ancestral land of the Syilx/Okanagan peoples. With a Bachelor of Arts in Western Art History and a minor in Anthropology, AKB has published over 40 works in recent years. They were also exhibited at the Kelowna Community Theatre (April-May 2024) with their display of “Our Cabin In The Woods” and made the shortlist for the 2024 UBC Short Story Contest.