Ice Follies 2004

Dan Elzinga, A Tribute to Clifton Whiten, 2004

Materials: Found hut with mixed materials

Dan Elzinga is a local community member who died recently. From outside, the hut looks like a humble, cobbled-together shack. However, within the ice hut, one finds a number of significant objects and mementos, chosen for their associative relationship to Clifton Whiten. These consist of a strange wood, glass, and lead sculptures. Inside visitors could activate a time delay device that turns on lights and a soundtrack that is built into the shack. Elzinga has stated that his intention, as well as creating a memorial with a specific intention, would also be evocative for those who didn’t know Whiten. Essentially, as the title indicates, visitors must find — or fish for — their own meaning in this work.

Artist Bio:

Dan Elzinga is a North Bay artist who has shown across the North and who works in many media including audio, video, installation, paint, and new media. Personally close to the project, Dan is deeply interested in lake life and the ice-fishing subculture. He is a graduate of Queen’s University Department of Fine Arts and, as a member of White Water Gallery artist-run centre, has been an activist for contemporary art in the area for over a decade.