view . summer 2011
7
Stephen Surlin is searching for the right words. It’s not that
he’s at a loss for them – he simply has so much to say, to do,
and to achieve. It’s as though the bright and curious third-
year student is breathing in potential and exhaling ideas.
Majoring in Visual Arts, Surlin is laying a broad foundation for his
future, minoring in women’s studies and
computer science. His ultimate goal is
to take his passion for art, social justice
and technology and fire these elements
into a finished piece that inspires thought,
social equality, and even sustainable
products that benefit disempowered
communities.
As a child, he wandered the halls of the University of Windsor
with his father, professor Stuart Surlin. As an adult, he has returned
to campus, intrigued by the unique approach of the Visual Arts
program and the opportunity to major and minor in such disparate
areas that, nonetheless, are allowing him to follow where his
interests can lead.
“I didn’t take one art class in high school,” says Surlin. “But I don’t
think it was necessary because I don’t think that what is taught there
relates to the most contemporary art forms.”
Instead, he chose the philosophy course offered at Belle River High
School. “That influenced me a lot. I became political very early on.”
At the end of Grade 12, Surlin found himself spending the summer
poring over books by philosophers such as Nietzche, Camus, and
Samuel Beckett.
After high school he chose to attend the Recording Arts Canada
in Toronto, a college that focuses on analog and digital recording,
engineering, production, audio postproduction, MIDI and multimedia.
There, Surlin began to take a burgeoning interest in music and
film and then, finally, art.
He decided that a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree would be the best
route to express what he wanted to do – influence social change.
“A part of the reason I chose UWindsor was the Border Culture
course taught by Lee Rodney. It looks at the impact of physical or
metaphorical borders in terms of art and its development and
touches on artists who deal with this.”
He points to the work of Banksy, an anonymous English graffiti
artist and political activist, director and
painter, as his influence. His satirical
street art combines dark humour with
graffiti. His works of political and social
commentary have been featured on
streets, walls and bridges in cities
throughout the world.
“In particular, he has an installation
in the Gaza Strip,” says Surlin. “He brings a true social justice and
political dimension to art.”
He nourishes his own interest in social justice through his minor
in women’s studies.
“The class ‘Women in Globalization’ was very influential on me.
It talks about labour issues, especially in Africa.”
In 2010, Surlin travelled to Nigeria with the AIDS Crisis
Response Team, a non-profit organization that provides direct
medical services, medications and education to people in
developing countries affected by the disease.
“I handed out a lot of glasses there. I had people telling me they
wanted to be able to thread a needle, to see better,” he says.
The visit inspired Surlin to fuse his interest in social justice issues,
his knowledge of electronics and design, and his creativity to produce
ideas to improve the lives of the people he had met in Nigeria.
“After my trip to Nigeria, I did a lot of research on the idea of
architecture as activism,” Surlin says, “I liked the idea that art could
have a practical application.”
His first piece of what he terms “activism design projects” was a
solar-powered rechargeable LED lamp, a low-cost, sustainable and
repairable light source for work after dark. “Most of the people I
STEPHEN SURLIN
SIMPLY HAS
SO MUCH TO SAY, TO DO,
AND TO ACHIEVE.
ARTIST/ACTIVIST
Stephen Surlin, Visual Arts
BY JENNIFER BARONE
At left: Stephen Surlin strives to shed a light on issues such as social equality.
