David Rimmer (1942-2023)
David McLellan Rimmer (1942-2023)
We at KJD are devastated by the death of David Rimmer, a longtime collaborator in life and art with Karen Jamieson and Karen Jamieson Dance. In the words of Catherine Lubinsky and David MacIntyre, David and Karen shared “a long relationship together of partnership, marriage, artistic collaboration, parenthood and family.”
He was an extraordinary artist, a visionary, far ahead of his time.
David was a renowned avant-garde filmmaker, but he was also a genius who could create in many mediums, including building a house in Storm Bay together with Karen Jamieson.
In 1967, a group of hippies and artists got together and purchased land in the Sechelt Inlet to return to the land and values that had been lost. The architectural design of their home was David’s vision and together they built it. To this day the community is going strong, and Storm Bay remains an important part of their lives.
Hippies in Storm Bay, circa 1970s
The founder of Storm Bay, 50 years later in 2017. Pictured: David Rimmer [Center Front]; Rob Wood; Karen Jamieson; Nancy Hannum; Jim Kinzel [L-R]
David collaborated with Karen Jamieson on many projects stretching all the way back to a 1969 piece called Mediums, which was an early dance performance at SFU. David’s film Sisyphus, of Karen’s 1983 masterwork garnered an award at the New York Dance on Camera Film Festival, and his film for The Roadshow was used by Knowledge Network for many years, often popping up without notice.
In 2011, David contributed his experimental style of filmmaking to KJD’s multidisciplinary, multi-artist, multicultural work Collision. Recipient of Canada’s Governor General’s award and a teacher at Emily Carr, SFU, and UBC, his works reside in many permanent collections around the world. KJD is honored to have David as a part of our family. He will be deeply missed.
He is survived by his three sons Jesse, Cameron, and Milo, whom he loved dearly.
Visit this link to read a beautiful article written by Janet Smith about David.
Some video excerpts of David Rimmer’s work with Karen Jamieson Dance
Excerpt from Sisyphus (1983). Film by David Rimmer, musical composition by David MacIntyre.
Excerpt from The Roadshow (1991). Film by David Rimmer, musical composition by David MacIntyre.
Excerpt from Drive (1987). Film by David Rimmer, musical composition by Kirk Elliott, David MacIntyre, and Bruce Ruddell.
Selections of David Rimmer and Karen Jamieson’s collaborations from the archives
David Rimmer filming for Collision (2011)
