For Immediate Release
June 6, 2013

Brent Comber’s New Exhibit ‘Pale Shadows’ Revisits His Roots

Comber’s West Coast modern designs can be seen at VanDusen Garden beginning June 20

Vancouver, BC - Internationally recognized artist and fourth-generation North Vancouver native Brent Comber will release his latest sculpture ‘Pale Shadows’ (above) at VanDusen Botanical Garden’s ‘Touch Wood’ art exhibit in Vancouver, BC, on June 20, 2013.  Curated by Celia Duthie and Nicholas Hunt of the Duthie Gallery on Salt Spring Island, ‘Touch Wood’ is a landmark exhibition of more than two dozen wood sculptures and installations by prominent BC artists such as Michael Dennis, Alastair Heseltine and Martha Varcoe Sturdy, to name a few.

Through the use of fir to create ‘Pale Shadows’, Comber returns to a primarily antiquated building material.  With large-scale, stacked posts, ‘Pale Shadows’ reintroduces the material back into the landscape – but this time as bold arboreal spires consisting of 10 poles ranging from three to eight feet tall. Comber’s design process with ‘Pale Shadows’ revisits the history of the use of fir in building design.

“The fact that this installation is in a herbaceous flowerbed is fitting: it reinforces both the ephemeral and cyclical nature of wood (life), on one hand, and highlights the progressive (or potentially regressive) nature of man on the other,” says Comber. “I hope people can make their own connections to ‘Pale Shadows’ and create their own stories from it.”

In addition to Comber’s latest design ‘Pale Shadows’ (LH), his 60-inch illuminated ‘Shattered Spheres’ (MID), and ‘Nine Sentinels’ (RH) – a circle of 9’ maple forms will be on exhibit.  All the pieces are for sale with a portion of the proceeds going to support VanDusen Botanical Garden’s activities and programs. ‘Touch Wood’ runs June 20 through September 30, 2013.

With an international reputation for his aesthetic interpretation of the Pacific Northwest and its natural materials, Brent Comber designs for architects, interior designers, and corporate clients around the globe. His work can be seen in hotels, restaurants, office buildings, and in retail stores in international cities including Ireland, Japan, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Vancouver, to name a few.  Comber’s most recognizable and award-winning designs include the Alder, Shattered and Solid collections.

Comber’s work has exhibited in art galleries and featured at prominent Design Trade shows including New York’s ICFF, IDS West, and Tokyo’s 100% Design, Japan’s premier contemporary interior design show.  In 2011, Comber received the ‘BC Creative Achievement Award’, and his sculpture ‘Serene’ was purchased by Tokyo’s Design Association and presented to the Prime Minister of Japan. ‘Serene’ continued its legacy by touring Japan to help raise environmental consciousness.  Most recently, Comber designed the sculpture ‘Nightswimming’ for SFU’s UniverCity Childcare Centre’s one-year anniversary.

Brent Comber Originals is an art and design studio that creates sculpted objects, functional pieces, and design environments.  www.brentcomber.com

Please visit VanDusen Botanical Garden events page for more information.

-30-

Media Contact:

Brent is available for interviews and photo opportunities at VanDusen Garden upon request.

Tanya Tweten ~ Publicist ~ t. 604-872-2352  ~ e. tanya@promoteratheart.com

For Immediate Release

FLOS opens their largest Architectural Lighting Studio in Western Canada at Vancouver’s Inform Interiors Contract Showroom

FLOS’s ‘Soft Architecture’ studio exhibits leading edge LED lighting design

Vancouver, Canada – May 2013 – FLOS, the renowned Italian lighting manufacturer, and Inform are excited to announce the grand opening of the largest FLOS Architectural Studio in Western Canada at Inform Contract’s trade-only showroom located at 405 Railway in Vancouver, Canada.

The recently renovated space is open to architects and designers offering 1,000 sq. ft. of FLOS’s revolutionary architectural lighting including Wall Piercings, Wall Rupture, Spun Lamps, Soft Profile, and more built right into the walls and ceiling (as seen below).  Other new and iconic products will also be on display including the Light Photon (using OLED technology), the popular Kelvin LED family, as well as FLOS’s collection of outdoor lighting. FLOS’s LED Soft Architecture lighting program is a brand new interaction of forms, light and shadow for all interior design applications.

Inform Contract’s showroom is managed by Director Paul Sjaarda and Lighting Certified designer Robyn York. The duo is a valuable resource to area architects and designers, having made their mark on countless interiors in Vancouver including restaurants, museums, hotels, private residences and more. Vancouver consumers can also purchase FLOS lighting through Inform Interiors’ showroom at 50 Water Street.

FLOS Studio media tours and photo opportunities are available upon request. Visit Inform Contract for more information.

About Inform Contract

Inform Contract, the trade division of Inform Interiors, is a commercial furniture and lighting showroom providing architects and designers with products specifically for corporate, hospitality, institution, transportation, and lighting projects. From small to large-scale commercial-based projects, Inform Contract partner and director Paul Sjaarda and lighting expert Robyn York provides expert experience in sourcing sophisticated products for clients along with providing new solutions for the ever changing corporate, institution, and hospitality environments.  Operating for over nine years, Inform Contract has provided lighting and furniture for some of the West Coast’s most prestigious and award-winning spaces in Canada. www.informcontract.com

About Inform Interiors

With over 48 years of service and long standing credibility within the industry, Inform is known for its sense of international design, commitment to clients, and expertise in sourcing the ideal products for each project. www.informinteriors.com

About FLOS

Founded in 1962 in Merano, Italy, FLOS is an international company that offers a range of lighting products and systems for residential and architectural applications. Known for its creative and innovative lighting solutions, the company can boast a rich catalog of iconic products created by legends of design like Achille Castiglioni, Philippe Starck, Antonio Citterio, Marcel Wanders, Konstantin Grcic, Jasper Morrison, Patricia Urquiola, Ron Gilad, and many others. FLOS shows constant commitment to technological research and innovation, together with an extraordinary capacity to spot new creative talent. With the recent launch of the Soft Architecture collection, an avant-garde project which has received top international awards, the company gave further proof of a well-established brand’s ability to look to the future without forgetting its own tradition. Flos has flagship stores in Rome, Milan, Paris, Hong Kong, Stockholm, London and New York. For more information, visit www.flosusa.com.

-30-

Photo Credits Michael Young

Inform Contract Media Contact:

Tanya Tweten – Publicist

T: 604-872-2352

E: tanya@promoteratheart.com

For Immediate Release

Designer Brent Comber Unveils Latest Sculpture ‘Nightswimming’

Comber’s new design launched at UniverCity Childcare Centre’s One Year Anniversary

Vancouver BC – April 12, 2013 – Internationally recognized artist and fourth-generation North Vancouver native Brent Comber unveiled his most recent art sculpture during SFU’s UniverCity Childcare Centre’s one year anniversary celebration on April 10.

Comber’s latest sculpture, titled ‘Nightswimming’, was created from a log harvested from SFU’s site and designed to evoke a sense of discovery for the children at the centre. Situated outside, Comber’s natural wood piece will provide many different options for use. It can be a place where children take a break from playing, used as a stage area, or it could be a bleacher for an audience viewing a performance.

“The concept we are working on is to showcase the log as it transitions from the natural world into a functional built environment – a clear message of where wood comes from,” says Comber. “This also parallels the transition of a child, developing independence from their parents when experiencing a rich developmental place such as UniverCity Childcare Centre.”

With an international reputation for his aesthetic interpretation of the Pacific Northwest and its natural materials, Brent Comber designs for architects, interior designers and corporate clients around the globe. His work can be seen in hotels, restaurants, office buildings, and clothing boutiques in international cities including Ireland, Japan, New York, Miami, Los Angeles, Seattle, and Vancouver, to name a few.  His most recognizable designs include the Alder, Shattered and Solid collections, and later this year he will be launching brand new designs.

Comber’s work has exhibited in art galleries and featured at prominent Design Trade shows including New York’s ICFF, IDS West, and Tokyo’s 100% Design, Japan’s premier contemporary interior design show.  In 2011, Comber received the ‘BC Creative Achievement Award’, and his sculpture ‘Serene’ was purchased by Tokyo’s Design Association and presented it to the Prime Minister of Japan. ‘Serene’ continued its legacy by touring Japan to help raise environmental consciousness.

Brent Comber is an art and design studio that creates sculpted objects, functional pieces and design environments. Visit www.brentcomber.com for more information.

Visit the UniverCity Childcare Centre for more information.

Photo credit: g.ehlers/SFU | GREG EHLERS  | SENIOR PHOTOGRAPHER at SFU

-30-

Brent Comber is available for interviews upon request.

Publicity Contact ~ Tanya Tweten ~ t. 604-872-2352 ~ e. tanya@promoteratheart.com