From September to January 2022, we were invited to take part in Surrey Art Gallery’s UrbanScreen public projection space on the side of the Chuck Bailey Recreation Centre.

I Spy a City was made as a nod to the I Spy children’s book series as a way of highlighting Surrey. The composition was made of many looping gifs, composed into a longer piece that could be witnessed for up to an hour long. Each GIF was made as a micro-narrative to the many things that tie Surrey together: the food, the public activities, the transit, the wildlife bordering on the city’s outskirts, the mixed immigrant cultures, the construction zones and sites constantly gentrified. It was a huge challenge to capture all of Surrey into one piece and there’s no way we could have succeeded.

On September 18th, Alia, Lana, and Josh took part in another artist talk with Surrey Art Gallery where they spoke about their specific GIFs made for I Spy, showcased some of their personal work, and articulated why their choice of GIF was important to them.

In tandem with the I Spy a City exhibition, Julia, Josh, and Alia hosted workshops through Surrey Art Gallery as part of their Art Together: Art in Motion series. To watch these workshops, click here , here & here.

UrbanScreen curator: Rhys Edwards

I Spy a City UrbanScreen photo credits: Brian Giebelhaus