Last week I attended the David Hoffos presentation at ECIAD. He was a true inspiration to listen to. Hoffos lives and works in Lethbridge Alberta and has only showed one time in Vancouver. He started off by talking about his difficulties throughout the years in being different in school and not fitting in. It wasn’t until his mid 20s that he figured out where he wanted to be and what exactly he wanted to do. He received a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the University of Lethbridge in 1994 where he got in because he never had to present a portfolio. His early works were very sculptural, using toys and other objects to set up scenarios just like a set designer would. Early on it was evident he wanted to be a filmmaker. He used a variety of found objects in his practice and focused on giving these function, not just creating art. His early installation work consisted of projections onto stationary popup objects, and then eventually switched to video. Hoffos presented a variety of works from his school years to more recent work through images. He went on to create a lot of miniatures and really eerie visions of ghostly figures existing about in different scenarios. His interest in older video technology has enabled him to master his craft and create amazing effects that raise the hairs on the back of your neck. Having never seen his work before I found it hard to imagine what the still images he showed during the presentation really looked like. However, near the end of the presentation he showed a short film with different works of his which was welcomed with great enthusiasm. It shifted his creations into a whole new level that I couldn’t even imagine just from looking at some photographs of it. Although the video was great, being in the actual gallery when these were presented must have been a whole other experience on its own. He really is passionate about his work and is a great inspirational speaker, acknowledging his flaws and his hardships in order to motivate others and instill hope. Near the end of his speech he went on to talk about an amazing experience he had while in BC but unfortunately we’ve all been sworn to secrecy and therefore I can’t say another word on the subject, you just had to be there to believe it!
Finally, this is the video he showed at the end of the presentation. It helped me get a better idea of what he does, so i know this will help.
Ah, the possibilities!
