Fredericton artist gives home a ‘facelift’

Fredericton artist Brian MacKinnon is paying tribute to 250 people he has met over the course of his life with a unique art project at his home.

It isn’t the first eye catching art installation on his Fredericton property, but Brian MacKinnon’s latest endeavour might be giving his home the biggest “facelift” yet.

The semi-retired physician’s most recent project features around 250 people he has met over the course of his life. He has painted their faces all across the sides of his house and has “jazzed up” what he believes are that person’s biggest characteristics.

He calls it: “All Words Start with Love.”

“I wanted to make a really powerful work about a lot of people in my life presently and in the past,” MacKinnon said. “I just kept going from one face and mask to another and the way I wanted to express it most powerfully was to make my house an artwork.”

It took about 18 months from the time MacKinnon first came up with the idea to get the wrap around his home. The wrap itself is paint and ink baked into laminated vinyl, which is then backed onto an aluminum composite product, the artist says.

The faces on the house aren’t necessarily close friends of MacKinnon. They could have been a co-worker, a distant relative, or even simply someone he saw taking the bus every day.

Friends of MacKinnon have pressed him to see if they made the cut, but he isn’t giving anything away.

“If it’s an adult, I can shut them down,” MacKinnon jokes. “If it’s a child, I try to say, ‘Well, possibly you’re up there, but I can’t say.’ I like the mystery and the surprise, and the part of the mystery is, hopefully, if they look at it again in a few months or next week they’ll see something they’re not seeing now. I think strong works do that, that you don’t pick up everything right away.”

He calls the work a “private-public” installation of art. While the display is on his private property, he invites the community to come right up the house and get a close up look themselves. He hopes to take away the intimidation some people may feel when going to traditional art galleries or museums because they may not know much about art.

Despite the fact the display has only been up for a little less than two weeks, word has travelled around the capital city quickly.

“It is just so much more detailed than I thought,” said Emma Boucher, who along with her sister, came to see the house themselves after seeing photos on Facebook.

“He let me step up and take a proper look at it not from just my car, and I’m thoroughly impressed. It is beautiful and they’re all people that he knew, which I did not know. I think that’s even more special.”

The community support has been heartwarming for MacKinnon, who has even heard from old acquaintances who have either seen or heard about his home.

He said he is humbled and honoured by all who have and will continue to stop by and see the work themselves.

“I want the work to mean something to the people who see it,” MacKinnon notes. “I want it to evoke some emotion and if it doesn’t, then it doesn’t work for that person. I don’t really care what the emotion is as it’ll be different for each person.”

MacKinnon isn’t sure how long the faces will remain plastered along his home.

“They’re mystified by how this is done, and if they come and see it up close, they’ll get a better idea of what it’s actually made of.”

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