Rawry & Pohly’s practice is centred on encouraging acts of play and reconnecting with one’s childhood through the lens of visual arts. As artists, R&P specialise in stylistic interpretations of modern pop art with elements of minimalism by utilising mixed media on canvas, sculpture, and print. A key element of our approach to visual art and encouraging play is creating artwork that is accessible to the public: this means creating art that is immediately recognizable and meaningful to the viewer.

Our recent focus in public art is on grassroots, community art projects for underserved community members and areas.

We found Fuse33 through a Google search and went for a site visit. We were ecstatic. The tools, space, and community available were amazing. We didn’t have to buy every tool and store it in our house and we could build them in a huge space that allowed for fabrication of the pieces at scale without difficulty.

When we were awarded a grant to create our first ever sculptures for a igNIGHT: Illuminated in Fort McMurray our plan to manufacture the artworks was to fabricate the artworks in the garage and buy all of the tools for the process. We were set to spend significantly more than the grant provided on the tools alone and we weren’t sure which tools we would use again for future projects. Fuse33 allowed us to fabricate without unnecessary expense while learning the tools we would most need for future projects.

Our most recent project was painting one of the largest murals in Calgary, a modern interpretation of the culturally significant scroll painting ‘Along The River During the Qingming Festival’ on 116 2 Ave SW, Calgary, AB T2P 0B9 in Chinatown through local community collaboration. We were able to take on that project through our slow build in reputation and delivery on our projects, which the use of Fuse33 allowed us to build.

As a result, our community reach increased tenfold through working with Fuse33, which allowed us to fabricate large sculpture works and take on projects we only would have dreamed of.

As a fabrication space, community, and educational resource, Fuse33 is an unmatched and valuable addition to the community. There are no other spaces in the city with as many capabilities as Fuse33, it is truly the only place in Calgary of its kind.