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The famous Confusion Corner sign inspired a Winnipeg painter

By on April 13, 2022 0



Travel the world and you’ll never find an intersection quite like Confusion Corner.

Artistic preview

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out of the corner
By Andrew S. Hiebert
Artlington Studios, 618 Arlington St.
To arrange a viewing, email 618artlingtonstudios
@gmail.com
As of April 23

Enter it for the first time and you are an accident waiting to happen.

The intersection that includes Osborne and Donald streets, Corydon Avenue and the Pembina Freeway is an urbanist’s version of Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree: the latest urban design that everyone would choose, but the one that is now part of Winnipeg’s psyche.

So much so that the Confusion Corner sign on Osborne, just south of the traffic jam, has become a symbol of the city surpassed only by the various Winnipeg Jets logos.

This arrow-filled emblem is the inspiration for Winnipeg artist Andrew S. Hiebert and his new exhibition out of the cornerwhich is on display at Artlington Studios — another Winnipeg curio — at 618 Arlington St.


JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS

Andrew S. Hiebert’s new exhibition features works that incorporate the Confusion Corner sign.

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JOHN WOODS / FREE WINNIPEG PRESS

Andrew S. Hiebert’s new exhibition features works that incorporate the Confusion Corner sign.

“People said it was abstract street sign art and I totally agree,” he says. “It’s round. It’s straight. It’s sharp. It’s smooth. It’s ambiguous in direction and it’s so rich in possibilities. I love it.

“I love the name and the idea that there’s a place of confusion. People can get lost, and yet in that place you can always get out, and if you know what you’re doing, you can get through everything smoothly.”

Hiebert has taken advantage of these opportunities and the COVID-19 pandemic to create some 30 paintings on wood and canvas that use the form depicted on the panel and elevate it beyond the usual feelings it elicits from motorists. , such as anger, frustration and despair. .


MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS FILES</p> <p>The intersection that includes Osborne and Donald streets, Corydon Avenue and the Pembina Freeway is an urban planner’s version of Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree: the latest urban design that everyone would choose, but the one that is now part of the psyche.”/> <br /> </a> <figcaption> <p>MIKE DEAL / FREE PRESS KITS</p> <p>The intersection that includes Osborne and Donald streets, Corydon Avenue and the Pembina Freeway is an urbanist’s version of Charlie Brown’s Christmas tree: the latest urban design that everyone would choose, but the one that is now part of Winnipeg’s psyche.</figcaption></figure> <p>“The name Confusion Corner is so metaphysical. It contains this human angst,” he says. “I grew up on the farm (near Rosenfeld) and Confusion Corner was this mystical thing. Of course, you’ll never find it on a map, so the only way to find it is to talk to Winnipeggers.” </p> <p>One of his biggest paintings is called <em>The way back</em>in which Hiebert transformed the Confusion Corner sign into a home, transforming the central loop of the logo into an ominous entrance. </p> <p>He says the unsettling nature of Confusion Corner offers different ways to view the intersection and our thoughts about it. </p> <figure class=
<p>JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS </p> <p>Artlington Studios is located at 618 Arlington St. in the West End.</p> <p>“/> <br /> </a> <figcaption> <p>JOHN WOODS / FREE WINNIPEG PRESS </p> <p>Artlington Studios is located at 618 Arlington St. in the West End.</p> </figcaption></figure> <p>“Is home a happy place? Isn’t this a happy place? he says. “Are you going in the dark to get home or does the dark get in to you?” </p> <p>Hiebert, who also teaches physics and chemistry at Mennonite Brethren Collegiate Institute, assumed <em>out of the corner</em> in 2021 in response to Sir Isaac Newton and his contributions to science during a bubonic plague pandemic in Europe between 1665 and 1667. </p> <p>“He invented calculus, he discovered the principles of universal gravitation, and he established a whole area of ​​physics that we call mechanics,” Hiebert says of Newton’s time away from academic research. </p> <figure class=
<p>JOHN WOODS / FREE WINNIPEG PRESS </p> <p>"I love the name and the idea that there is a place of confusion. People can get lost, and yet in this place you can always get out of it, and if you know what you are doing, you can get out of it very easily," Hiebert said.”/> <br /> </a> <figcaption> <p>JOHN WOODS / FREE WINNIPEG PRESS </p> <p>“I love the name and the idea that there’s a place of confusion. People can get lost, and yet in that place you can always get out, and if you know what you’re doing, you can get everything smooth,” Hiebert said.</figcaption></figure> <p>“I’m not Isaac Newton, but I don’t want to sit around and watch Netflix through this whole thing. When I want to come out of it, I want to come out of it with something. I’m coming out of the pandemic and I’ve got this.” </p> <p><em>out of the corner</em> is on view until April 23 at Artlington Studios, which has a 1,700-square-foot gallery on the second floor of a four-story building that seems to come out of nowhere among West End homes. </p> <p>The building was constructed in 1912 as a two-story structure that housed a clothing manufacturer; the top two floors were added in the 1920s as demand for knitwear grew in Canada and around the world. </p> <figure class=
<p>JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS </p> <p> Hiebert has created some 30 paintings on wood and canvas that use the form depicted on the sign and elevate it beyond the usual feelings it evokes in motorists, such as anger, frustration, and despair.”/> <br /> </a> <figcaption> <p>JOHN WOODS / FREE WINNIPEG PRESS </p> <p>Hiebert has created some 30 paintings on wood and canvas that use the form depicted on the sign and elevate it beyond the usual feelings it evokes in motorists, such as anger, frustration, and despair.</figcaption></figure> <p>An upholsterer, woolen store, and storage business have occupied 618 Arlington over the years, and in 2011 the ground floor was converted into artists’ studios and the second floor became a gallery in which Hiebert couldn’t wait to exhibit. </p> <p>“It should be a well-known place because it’s so beautiful, in my opinion. It’s amazing,” he says. “Now I’m in it, it’s like Confusion Corner. I get it.” </p> <p>He says the building is “hiding in plain sight” and commuters probably don’t realize they’re idling next to a 110-year-old building waiting for the lights to change at Arlington and Sargent Avenue. </p> <figure class=
<p>JOHN WOODS / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS </p> <p> Hiebert says the unsettling nature of Confusion Corner offers different ways to view the intersection and our thoughts about it.”/> <br /> </a> <figcaption> <p>JOHN WOODS / FREE WINNIPEG PRESS </p> <p>Hiebert says the unsettling nature of Confusion Corner offers different ways to view the intersection and our thoughts about it.</figcaption></figure> <p>A dark staircase awaits visitors inside, leading to the studios and eventually the gallery, which is one of the few places to see art and Winnipeg at the same time. </p> <p>“I’ve been to a lot of really cool places in New York and it reminds me of that, really unique,” says artist Barbara Bottle, who manages the building and has a studio there. </p> <p>Bottle says the historic setting of Artlington Studios has energized her with her photographic and multimedia works which she has exhibited at Aceartinc., the Millennium Library and the Mentoring Artists for Women’s Art gallery. </p> <p>“I remember the first time I went there, it blew your mind because you have no idea (what it’s going to be like),” she says. “It really helps with creativity. It’s still a pretty cool space to step into.” </p> <p>Alan.Small@winnipegfreepress.com </p> <p>Twitter: @AlanDSmall </p> <p style=
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Alain Petit

Alain Petit
Journalist

Alan Small has been a Free Press reporter for over 22 years in a variety of roles, most recently as a reporter in the Arts and Life section.

Read the full biography

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