Robin Laurence, The Georgia Straight

“Sormin's work, titled Roaming Tales, is a room-sized thicket of ceramic forms and structures. Interspersed throughout the installation are kitsch items such as souvenir plates, figurines, and teapots. Also incorporated are ceramic tubes, metal canisters, and ornamental plastic fencing, with the entire assemblage mounted on rough wooden scaffolding.

The smashing sounds emanate from video monitors integrated into the work, which play tapes of the collaborative construction of an earlier version of Roaming Tales in Regina. Among the actions the videos record is that of an alienated Grade 7 student venting aggression by destroying ceramic objects. The cameras also document other students picking up the pieces and integrating them into the assemblage.

Wherever this work is installed, Sormin supplements and adjusts it to make it site-specific. The word Roaming in the title signifies movement from place to place, while Tales suggests human experience.”