Lisa Hodgkinson

Artist in Residence: August 2019

Artist Lisa Hodgkinson created a mobius strip sculpture during a four-week residency in August 2019. A Mobius Strip is a surface with only one side and only one boundary. It has the mathematical property of being unorientable. Its discovery is attributed to the German mathematicians Johann Benedict Listing and then independently August Ferdinand Mobius in 1858, though a structure similar to the Möbius strip can be seen in Roman mosaics dated circa 200–250 AD. 

Artist Biography

Lisa has always had a fascination with texture and material. During her undergraduate program at the Alberta University of the Arts, she found a home in the wonderful mixed media world of the sculpture department. Her unique work has a tendency to reference her love of natural forms through unlikely materials. 

After an introductory welding course through the Boston Museum School of Fine Arts, Lisa knew she had found a medium that she needed to explore. When she graduated, Lisa began the journey of learning to craft metal. Through the help of friends, she found a vibrant and noisy corner in an auto body shop in Forest Lawn to use for studio space and has been developing her work there for eight years. 

“Metal crafting has a very rich history. I feel that I could spend a lifetime learning about and trying out all the processes. It’s a fantastically deep subject.”

A true believer in re-purposing, Lisa’s favourite materials are often remnants from farm machinery or automotive parts. She combines these industrial components with a process of bending steel rod by using a high heat induction tool. 

“Steel is a much softer material than people realize. The rod can be easily twisted and stretched if you add a bit of heat. I often think of it as a fibre to weave or like a pencil line drawing.” 

See more of Lisa’s work on her website.