Have been pondering many (often divergent) ideas over the holidays.
It’s been part of the process of getting back “into it” after the time away – thinking about what directions do I want to take in my practice over the next while for sure, and getting myself sorted for the commitments I already have (more on that soon!) – but this pondering has also been about ideas of growth and change on a broader level.
What I want to help manifest in the world.
What the world can teach us about how to manifest beauty of all sorts on an ongoing basis, if we but pay attention. See, rather than merely look.
So it wasn’t entirely surprising that I came across the video below. Remarkable work, and much fuel for thought here. Enjoy – and best of this New Year to you.
I am preparing to fly West this afternoon, after a busy and very productive several months in various spots in Nova Scotia. A great residency with Scott Smallwood, and new work launched in Parrsboro, at Main & Station. The start of some new and exciting collaborations with Deborah Carruthers and with Susan Tooke. Time to experiment with cyanotype processes, work on video and audio projects. Time to hike, to make photographs, to think, to further the long-term process of healing my body (thank you Acupuncture and Massage Therapy!)
It feels like much more time has passed since I was last on ‘home turf’ – or rather, that the tempo and scale of time as I experience it has shifted in a fundamental way – and now I have to find my way back to something more familiar. Not quite there – and I think that’s a very good thing. VERY.
It was a good place and time to be reminded of the diverse (and often very difficult, painful) histories of any given place. How easy it is not to see that – how easy to get lost in the vast beauty of the place – any place – and look but not see. The beauty is part of those histories; it’s woven into the different scales of time inherent in that locale to be sure. Geologic time. Tidal Time. Seasonal Time. Mythic time. Colonial Time (a very slippery fish, this one). Settlement Time. Expulsion Time. Industrial Time. And on and on … but make no mistake, there’s nothing linear about this.
The ‘present’ as we fashion it in any given moment is its own rabbit hole; a crucial vantage point (and obviously the only one available in a pragmatic sense), but it’s also a very troubled and troubling place from which to assess the relative value of most things and actions and ideas … . The popular narratives that tend to overwhelm all other chatter are still those that yoke the present to doing cartwheels toward the ‘somehow-better-future’. Because, of course ‘things’ will be ‘improved.’ This is the wish, the hope, and the outcome to be willed into being, somehow.
And under it all, the land remains—a page upon which this story is “written, erased, rewritten,” as author Teju Cole put it. Only memory and history can interrupt this cycle of revision we commonly refer to as progress. And those interruptions are vital, absolutely necessary, if we are to navigate some way toward a better way of existence for ourselves (on all levels), and co-existence with all beings.
Remains to be seen how well I am able to carry these glimmers of understanding forward as I return to the familiar places and routines – but the intent (and hope) is there. Patience, process, compassion.
After working this summer in Parrsboro with Scott Smallwood on a project
that explores the interconnections between the tide, the land, and the human history of the area (which included shipbuilding), these beautiful structures speak volumes to me – about change, and resilience, and different ways of looking at the idea of abundance.
I am also a total sucker for the ways in which these boat-houses help to retain the many generations of work and relationship to the sea in these coastal places.
My thanks to eMorphes for bringing these structures to our collective attention!
It’s been a remarkable time; the residency and performance, the talk, the exhibition … and now that it’s all done and packed up, a little time to reflect.
The first week was all about slowing down, getting reacquainted with the town and the land … shifting gears, not unlike the tides here do every 12 hours.
There’s a generosity to the pace of life in Parrsboro; in the Maritimes in general. There’s room enough and time enough to do what you need to do. It’s a precious thing. It’s also been really nice reconnecting with people I’d met last year, seeing friends who live in this part of the country, catching up on news, feeling welcomed. A good place to start getting myself sorted, to make work, gather ideas like I gathered materials … .
It’s been a summer notable too for the generosity of several people that have left me feeling deeply grateful for the opportunity to be making work in this place.
So, this is a note of thanks, to many people, and on many counts:
To two lovely local visitors to my work space in the Nonesuch Centre for the Performing Arts (which was formerly Trinity United Church here in town). Louis Heb came by to see what was happening, and shared stories about himself and his family’s connection to the church over the years: in particular a family member who was the church organist. Tom Hatfield came by too – he remembered attending Boy Scout meetings when he was a kid, in the same room I am working in now. He also remembered the organ, and the lovely acoustics. Both Louis and Tom were happy to see that the building was going to be saved, and taken care of, and used to bring people together again. It was a real gift to be offered these stories, and to see so directly the way in which the building still houses the memories of the community in an active way. It’s remarkable to be sharing the space with all of that history, and making work derived from the landscape and objects that come from the area.
Such an honour to be working in this beautiful place, and to be her at the start of a new chapter in its history
Things and places – like people – hold histories and memories of their own.
To Randy Corcoran, captain, amazing source of sea-and-boat-related stuff, and an artist in his own right. My hosts at Main & Station connected me to Randy after my residency last year, and he and I had been in touch over the winter about various materials and objects I was looking for to make sculptures. He’s a busy guy – doing charter boat tours and house painting in the summers – so I felt fortunate that he had a bit of time to spare to show me some of the things he’s gathered, and get his invaluable assistance in finding more materials and getting them to the studio. It turned out that Randy had a great stash of things that were going to be really, really useful for this project, and he’d managed to get a lead on a key item I’d been searching for …
Captain Randy Corcoran, giving us an amazing tour of the Bay of Fundy! Such a fantastic experience!Most of these buoys were donated to the performance of “Macromareal Prelude” by Randy. He and I are hoping to do more with them in the future!
Which brings me to thanking…
Donald McCully (the Fox) – who really made my day by parting with an old hand sewn canvas sail that became a key part of the exhibition! I also got a look at the boat he built, and hear about the process of building it, and other stories besides.
An old canvas mainsail that now is part of the Macromareal story
To Judith & Harvey at Main and Station, who have been a vital part of this project since its very early days, and supported Scott and me by awarding us a research residency in 2016 and the residency & Fellowships this year to realize the project.
Harvey & Judith
To Susan Clarke (curator) June Wagstaff (archivist), and Lisa Miller (digital records/archives) at Ottawa House Museum. Thanks to you all for your support of this project!
Susan allowed Scott and I to do some field recordings at the Museum in 2016 that have made their way into the soundscape Scott created for our exhibition. She also allowed us to borrow a ship’s bell from the collection for the performance of “Macromareal Prelude” on August 5 & 6. June and Lisa have also been incredibly helpful to me in searching through the image archives and other holdings of the Museum.
The ship’s bell!
To Krista Wells, another local artist @ Artlab – for the scrap canvas I so desperately needed to repair the sail! AND for her excellent coffee and conversation over the month, and for being part of the “Macromareal Band” for our performance on August 6th!
To ALL the musicians, who made the premiere of “Macromareal Prelude” such a success: Kyle Dinaut – tuba, Michael Fuller – baritone saxophone, Timi Levy – violin, Jamie Oatt – trumpet, Joel Robertson – clarinet, Bruce Robertson – trumpet, Krista Wells – trombone
To Angela Glanzmann, friend and fellow artist, for documenting the performance, so that I could be an active participant.
To Nancy Agati and Sara McKarney – who were also on residencies this summer at Main & Station: thanks to you both for the great feedback and insight into the work, thanks for the laughs and the beach walks, and for being such great artists. You are both so inspiring.
Sara on an Beach Walk
Nancy and Scott on the day of our Bay of Fundy Boat Adventure
To Scott Smallwood, collaborator extraordinaire, colleague, and friend. Thank you for your hard work, generous sharing of ideas and knowledge, and for your faith in this project. It has been an honour and a pleasure to work with you … and I hope we can do more together SOON!
To John Waldron, inspirer and supporter of cross – disciplinary doing & making, partner, collaborator, teacher, and dearest of friends.
John
Couldn’t do any of this without you – thank you for showing me new ways to see and new ways to think about the world.
So – thank you all, again – and thanks to everyone else that has been a part of this adventure: friends new and old – some of whom came to town while we were there – Emily Jan & Marie-Eve Martel (!) …
Marie-Eve and me … looking a bit like the monster in the background!Emily on our beach combing trek to Diligent River
… and to visitors to the exhibition who stayed to chat, and the community of Parrsboro for being our home for a bit.
Had a lovely time at the opening reception yesterday afternoon; some great conversations with people, and a good turn out! Lovely food too – thanks to Judith at Main & Station!
I was quite struck with the reaction of people to the show: several guests stayed for a long time, just watching and listening. Had several people let me know they were going to come back and sit with the work when they could.
Couldn’t be happier with that. It’s extremely rewarding to hear – and I’m grateful that people took the time to speak with me and comment on the work at length.
A short video walk-through for you here. More images to follow soon!
The days have been flying past, and I find myself here, on the eve of our exhibition opening in Parrsboro!
I am looking forward to sharing the work Scott and I have been developing over the course of this residency, and interested in hearing feedback about it.
For those in the area of Parrsboro, Nova Scotia, details are:
Saturday August 12, 2017
4:00 – 8:00 pm
Opening Reception
at
Main & Station, 2nd Floor Gallery
168 Main Street, Parrsboro
Artists will be in attendance.
Looking forward to seeing those of you that can make it!
For those farther afield:
I’ll be posting images from the Opening and some documentation of the show here in the next few days.
We had a marvellous time on Sunday, presenting “Macromareal Prelude: In Fog and Storm and Rain” !
Everything fell into place so beautifully – we had planned to present at the beach, but the forecast pre-empted that idea – but Plan B turned out to be so great! No regrets there!
Deep thanks to all the musicians for a fantastic performance, and for being willing to adapt as needed on short notice. Thanks also to Ottawa House for lending us the beautiful ship’s bell from their artifact collection for this event. Special shout out to Randy Corcoran for the tremendous support, and donation of the buoys for my performative part in the day’s proceedings!
The Nonesuch Centre for the Performing Arts has really good acoustics, and lovely nooks and crannies to hide musicians … and Scott did a terrific job of adapting the work to the space. We were able to get a really nice recording of the performance, and some great photos and video. Scott even played the pipe organ!
Monday we were into full-on exhibition install mode … and while it was a hard working day, we got a great deal accomplished! Almost ready (already!) for the exhibition opening this Saturday (August 12) … more to follow on that very soon.
In the mean time, you can have a listen to the rehearsal of “Macromareal Prelude: In Fog and Storm and Sunshine”(on First Beach, Saturday August 5) here:
And the performance (at the Nonesuch Centre, Sunday August 6) here:
