Alex Dunsmuir
- 769
Toronto, Ontario
I’m a Toronto-based, francophone paper artist, designer, and arts educator, who combines traditional paper craft techniques and a modern design aesthetic to create 100% paper still lifes, props, large-scale installations, and custom pieces for private collections. I use a wide variety of techniques to showcase the diversity of paper, including paper rolling, edge quilling, paper sculpting, paper cut typography, paper layering, kirigami, and paper stitching. My work features everyday items hyper-realistically replicated in paper. I live for the double-take, and love when people have to question whether what they’re seeing is real or made from paper. I help people time travel. I’m fascinated by the visceral power of nostalgia, and the emotional connection we have to old objects, especially those associated with our childhood. While exploring themes related to home and daily life, I like to use retro candy, vintage toys, and obsolete household items as inspiration for my still life work. My aim is to elicit within the viewer a shared experience of being emotionally transported to a moment in time through the everyday objects that hold meaning for us. Prior to becoming a full-time fibre artist, I worked in marketing-communications for over 25 years, with brands like Nike, Coca-Cola, and General Mills. This part of my life influences my paper sculpture, as my work is largely inspired by consumer goods, everyday objects, and package design.