Toronto-based artist/ architect vivian reiss tells us that art isn’t a 9-to-5 job, and that it has no boundaries
From a ballet dancer to a painter and architect, Vivian Reiss’ journey so far can be likened to that of medieval explorers who challenged the absolute notions of their time, such as the world being flat. Like those explorers, Vivian has not only shattered long-held notions, but also discovered realms in art not oft explored. In India to speak at the TEDxGatewayWomen programme, she told us the principle that guides her work is simple: “There is no limit to art.”
Based out of Toronto, Vivian’s architectural exploits include a grand total of 60 projects. What makes her work special, however, is not the number, but the attention she puts into each. “The essence of my work lies in treating every project as if I was building my own home,” says Vivian, who takes pride in never taking up commissioned assignments. She buys the sites she wants to redevelop and invests in them right up to the point when they are sold. “My style of working involves buying old and dilapidated buildings, which I then redevelop and give new life to because I believe there is no building that is a lost cause. In fact, the older the building and the worse condition it is in, the more room it gives me to work,” says the architect, whose own house was among her first such redevelopment projects.
Born and partially raised in New York to a mother who survived the Holocaust, Vivian found early inspiration in such greats as artist George Baldessin. And one of her first exploits as an artiste, she says, was ballet: “I first found artistic expression in dance, but soon realised that ballet was a lot about the techniques. It was then that I jumped to art, because in painting there is no limit to your expression and there is lot more to learn.”
Telling us about her plunge into architecture, Vivian says, “One of my first works was building my own house. I wanted a beautiful and inspiring space to raise my children and was fortunate, in the sense that I could afford to buy my project sites and invest in them. I found a very beautiful building, a Victorian era construct from 1870, but it was a terrible wreck. I put in a lot of work to get the details right and made sure that everything, including the interior décor, was artistically inspiring. Even now when I wake up and see my teapot, it makes me feel wonderful. I used a lot of unique raw materials, for instance, the bathroom was constructed out of salvaged marble from a nearby bank building that was being demolished.”
Her house even has an Indian connection. “My garden is a textile garden with unique prints from the world over. To decorate my backyard, I got a Rajasthani elephant in a wonderful Indian block print. It is one of the centrepieces and gives the garden a great feel. The flavours, the sounds, the smell — I invest a lot of effort in perfecting all these details,” Vivian says.
Telling us about her work methods, Vivian says, “I boss people around — which is surprising since my physical stature is small! I spend several days at the site, thinking and visualising what I want to do. And when I get to work, I sometimes think of myself not as the architect or the planner, but as the foreman. It helps me keep the tiniest details on hand. For me, art is not a 9-to-5 job. It is something that engulfs your life and needs a lot of discipline and hard work as well.”
About sustaining such a niche profile in the era of high-rises, Vivian says, “Toronto, much like India, is experiencing an infrastructure boom. There are a lot of high rises coming up and there are condominiums everywhere. But my problem with these is that each and every condominium in a complex looks the same. My passion lies in making projects that are unique. I am afraid of doing the same thing twice. So my clientele is composed of people who are looking for unique and inspiring spaces to live in and raise their kids or grow old together in. And there are several who are looking for just that.”
