Daniel Olson

Daniel Olson uses performance as a means to ignite his material production. The Montreal-based artist transforms existing objects, creating small and somewhat discrete interventions, at times enhancing or exaggerating their use value. For example, he adds a bell to a wooden walking stick, which can be rung with the simple flick of the thumb; he adheres a magnifying glass to a music box, exposing its inner workings; or melds a fan to a music-maker so both operate simultaneously. For Twenty Minutes' Sleep the artist will revisit earlier installations where he combined objects, sound, video, photographs, and performance, to create an office space that sets the stage for a shifting cast of characters. The most fitting occupant for this room is the cliched hard boiled detective, but dif­ferent characters surface in the smallest of ges­tures. Olson amplifies these with his performances where he morphs from himself to his father to the artist to the mysterious stranger.