Artists in Gwaii Haanas exhibition
An integral part of my art making process involves reflecting deeply about the poetics of place; about connection and disconnection to our environment; about the state of being in tune with nature. When I was one of three Artists in Residence in Gwaii Haanas and Haida Gwaii museum, I was deeply moved by the sacred sites that honour the beasts, the people, the land and the sea. I found myself in awe of the number of islands in this unbelievably beautiful archipelago as well as the use of the word ‘isolated’ in referring to the geographical area. In contrast, it was apparent how affected we are by the world around us, as I experienced first-hand when I collected, in under two hours, almost a thousand pieces of plastic rubbish on the uninhabited coastline of Kunghit Island.
During my travels of the last year, I have pondered the word ‘isolation’ in reference to islands and in conjunction to the sometimes lonesome aspects of the human condition. These ideas combine with my interest in and concern about climate change, rising sea levels, time passing and a need to feel connected to our surroundings, to nature, to each other. I am intrigued by creation stories as they meet contemporary ideas of quantum entanglement, and in seeing islands as simply the surface of massive mounds of subterranean earth connected beneath the surface, so too can the term isolation be open to discussion.
These drawings, sculptures and installation are part of an ongoing series, a visual and philosophical inquiry into the human condition as our world changes quickly and undauntedly around us. As I continue my own search for ‘home’ I am in constant awe of how all of our stories interweave.