Burlap, teff, wheatgrass, buckwheat, red clover, china rose radish. Performance and installation at various galeries, Gatineau to Montréal, Canada (2006-2012).
“Craftwork establishes a realm of skill and knowledge perhaps beyond human verbal capacities to explain…” — Richard Sennett
I work to generate an understanding that there is an artistic voice in working with living elements. My sources of inspiration draw from the physical, tactile world as a means to transmit knowledge and experience. Sensing a way in which the natural and the urban may interact upon common ground, I’m engaged with questions about the reclamation of outdoor landscapes and the socio-political, ecological and physical environments that we are a part of.
The performance — Armour — is a meditation on the effort needed to preserve folk custom. I find peace in silent work, when I work with my hands and perform physical labour. In Armour, I share with the audience what connection to material process entails, a sense of power is shared collectively, in the act of making and remembering forms of craftsmanship. This is my way of becoming re-enchanted with nature’s living elements and re-enlivening this connection.
Armour is a living and breathing shell of interconnected root systems over the body. It is a literal and symbolic reminder of the strength that is gained from remaining in physical proximity to the natural world. This armour also dies, leaving a collection of memorial costumes, nothing left behind but the shape of an absent body and the smell of decay. The fermentation process is alive and tangible in my work. Within the thirteen day process of soaking, germination, growth and decay, the roots of various seeds nest to the surface of burlap coffee and rice bags and bind to the fabric as living threads. The seeds I grow react in new ways depending on the environment they are grown in and the way they are cared for.