C.W. Quigley
Christopher W. Quigley
Interdisciplinary Artist, Designer, Fabricator, Writer
Website
www.alchemiaartworkshop.org
Nova Scotia, Canada
Artist Statement
Christopher W. Quigley is an interdisciplinary artist and designer whose work explores themes of entropy, impermanence, trauma, transformation, and the erosion of systems over time. Working across public art, immersive installation, storytelling, sculpture, and social practice, his projects examine the intersection between human experience, civic space, memory, and collapse. His practice often asks what remains after structures, identities, and systems begin to fail.
With a background in interior and urban design and more than twenty years working in custom fabrication and large-scale architectural environments, Quigley’s work combines conceptual depth with practical material understanding. His projects blur the line between installation, public engagement, and social intervention.
His current body of work includes Transformation of Dangerous Spaces, The Listening Room, and the podcast series The CRUCIBLE.
Education
Art Institute of Vancouver/Interior Design
Urban Design Studies/ SFU
Professional Experience
Founder & Executive Director/Creative Director
ALCHEMIA Art Workshop
2025 – Present
Founder & CEO
Agency Custom
2018 –2022
Architectural Lighting and Design Representative
CDM2 Lightworks
2006 – 2015
Projects
Transformation of Dangerous Spaces
2025 – Present
National public art and civic engagement initiative examining gender-based violence, intimate partner violence, trauma, complicity, and social systems through immersive installation and community engagement practices.
The Listening Room Series
March 2026 – Present
Community storytelling initiative developed as a pillar of Transformation of Dangerous Spaces. The project brings people together through intimate, facilitated storytelling events centered on lived experience, attentiveness, and civic dialogue.
CRUCIBLE
September 2026
Podcast series produced through ALCHEMIA Art Workshop and a pillar of Transformation of Dangerous Spaces focused on storytelling, transformation, trauma, masculinity, violence prevention, and social reflection.
Ephemeral Monolith
2024 – Present
Large-scale public sculpture examining entropy, impermanence, erosion, and environmental transformation through mineral-based materials designed to decay over time.
Ephemeral Man
2024 – Present
Monumental sculptural work exploring vulnerability, identity, mortality, and transformation through dissolving material systems.
Ephemeral Animal
2024 – Present
Public sculpture exploring humanity’s relationship with animals, labor, warfare, endurance, and decay through monumental equine form.
Corpus Terræ
2025 – Present
Conceptual permanent installation examining the relationship between human circulatory systems, mycelial networks, land, and environmental interconnectedness.
Last Adventure Tours
2024 – Present
Theatrical and narrative development project exploring mortality, aging, autonomy, memory, and end-of-life reflection through dark humor and lived experience. Cowritten with Michael Best
Public Engagement & Community Practice
Community storytelling facilitation through The Listening Room
Civic engagement initiatives connected to violence prevention and public dialogue
Cross-disciplinary collaboration with frontline organizations, advocates, artists, researchers, and community agencies
Public speaking and media outreach connected to arts-based social engagement practices.
Quigley has developed an extensive network of relationships across community organizations, arts institutions, municipal leadership, Members of Parliament, Senators, and advocacy groups in support of socially engaged public art initiatives. Through the development of Transformation of Dangerous Spaces and The Listening Room, he has demonstrated an ability to mobilize cross-sector conversations surrounding gender-based violence, trauma, public space, masculinity, and civic engagement.
His work regularly involves direct engagement with elected officials, community leaders, researchers, frontline organizations, and media in order to build partnerships, increase public participation, and position arts-based practice within broader national conversations surrounding social change and public wellbeing.
Selected Collaborators & Community Partnerships
South Shore Transition Services
Man Made
Be The Peace Institute
Manuel Bujold
Shannon Carla King
Town of Mahone Bay
Town of Lunenburg
City of Moncton
City of St John
ADSUM for Women
Guys Work
Writing & Research
Quigley’s writing practice includes essays, reflective social commentary, project narratives, conceptual development, and long-form work exploring trauma, masculinity, memory, decay, systems collapse, and the role of art within public life. Current projects include ongoing book development connected to Transformation of Dangerous Spaces and The Listening Room.
