Spring 2008
Introducing Morgan McConnell : Winner of the 2008 Artwork Competition for the AIDS Walk for Life and Designer of the New Special Edition Polar Ice Label
By Tricia Diduch
We wanted to introduce you to one HIV-positive artist whose work you will soon be very familiar with. As the winner of the artwork contest for the AIDS Walk for Life design and as the creator of the new Polar Ice label, we are thrilled to present to you Morgan McConnell.
Morgan currently lives in British Columbia with his husband, Gordon, and works as a professional graphic designer under the pseudonym dangerboy. We spoke with Morgan to find a bit more about his art, his work and his life.
| Photo of Morgan McConnell courtesy of David Ellingsen | The Nest : Artwork for the 2008 AIDS Walk for Life |
When you created the designs for the AIDS Walk for Life and the special edition Polar Ice Vodka bottle, what messages about HIV/AIDS did you want to communicate?
Morgan: With the Polar Ice label, the message was that in Canada, HIV has become very manageable. People with HIV can now integrate into society and be almost invisible. It's not as obvious as it used to be, but we're still here. In a bus there could be three or four people sitting by you, or walking past you on the street and you don't really know, but it's important to have that awareness. Just because it's not as visible in Canada, doesn't mean it's not a global issue.
The design for the AIDS Walk for Life was a variation on a design submitted for the Polar Ice project. My husband had the kernel of the idea. It's not as predictable, but it has life, movement and flow. It's about picking up the discarded and moving towards hope and growth.
What type of design do you specialize in and who do you generally work for?
Morgan: I do graphic design for my work, as a freelance designer. I do websites, corporate IDs, branding, and print materials, generally for small businesses, musicians, photographers and for some political groups. I have also done some marketing work in Australia, where I lived for a while as well. I try only to work for people I know and support.
What feedback have you had on your work?
Morgan: I haven't had much HIV-related work on exhibition yet. Generally, my work is open-ended. I try to stay away from something so concrete and let people see in it what they will. A lot of it is about transformation, and opposites, life and death, and growth. Overall, the reaction has been great, especially with the most recent pieces. I've shown my work to a lot of family and friends and my husband's co-workers and his friends and it's been amazing.
Beyond that fact, it's nice to give something to the community in this way. These are fundraisers, so if I get exposure that's great, but the bigger picture is that it's a large awareness raising campaign and it's amazing to be a part of that.
Why do you think art is a good medium to increase awareness of HIV/AIDS?
Morgan: It's something that is publicly accessible. People will see a piece of art, see what it's for and then react to it. If they see that it's for something specific, they'll go, "Oh my God, that's related to this," and then they'll think about it and that will cause a chain reaction in their minds. They'll think about how they feel about things and their level of education and awareness. For an instant reaction -- to grab somebody -- it's extremely effective, much more so than a pamphlet or an ad campaign. If it's more literal, people tend to pass over it because they're so inundated by it all the time.
Where do you draw inspiration from?
Morgan: From the world around me, the social interactions that I see and experience, the people that I know, a lot from nature. I'd much rather use a tree, than a building, or a bird, than a car, in the work that I do. The complexity and the beauty and simplicity of it is extraordinarily empowering. And, it reminds me and people, of the world around us. You tend to get very focussed on urban life and overlook the natural world around you. It's important for it to be there and to be aware of it.
Is artwork therapeutic for you?
Generally, I don't sit down with an issue in my mind and create. It's unconscious and it's subconscious. You take elements and images you've captured over the years. You change it, twist it and render it, and then when it's done, you sit back and say, "Hmm, I wonder what that means." It's kind of a reflection of where your mind is at.
A process I really enjoy is seeing what other people see in it. My husband is a really good example of that. I'll do something and think I know what it means and then he'll look at it and go, "You were probably thinking about this, this and this." He'll remind me of something that happened a couple of weeks ago to us and you realize it actually goes deeper. It's not always something you can put words to. Having a lot of different ideas and discussions on the same piece helps flesh it out.
What advice do you have for aspiring artists?
Morgan: I think not ever stopping, creating all the time, even if it's just doodles on the side margin of your page. Just keeping all that as reference is important. I've kept strange little exercises that I did years ago that I look back on and, even now, I see things that I draw inspiration from.
How do you feel about your work being related to HIV/AIDS causes?
Morgan: I asked myself if I was ready for this, but honestly, the more I think about it, the more I think it's just a virus. We get viruses all the time. It's being incurable that makes HIV a stigma. If it was syphilis, which can be nasty, nobody really cares about it, but it's contracted the exact same way. [...] If I can step forward and let people know that this is just a virus and that it's okay, it will help change the common perception.
I assume that everybody has the same level of education and awareness that I have, but obviously not, because all the education is focussed on my community. [...] If I can help with that education process, I've reached my goal.
Stay tuned...
Although the special edition Polar Ice campaign in support of the Canadian AIDS Society has not yet been launched, the special edition bottles will appear at LCBOs in Ontario beginning June 16 and slightly later in outlets in BC and Alberta. $1.00 from each purchase of the special edition bottle of Polar Ice Vodka will go to the Canadian AIDS Society. |