We Are All Linked - Colony Collapse Sculptures

Georges Vanier Fine Arts School students have finished most of their clay interlinked hexagons as an exploration of colony collapse and how we are all linked in the world we live in. These hexagon clusters will be part of an exhibition at the Meewasin Valley Center in January of 2015. The projext is part of a City of Saskatoon Placemaker Project led by Monique Martin.

We Are All Linked - Placemaker Program Saskatoon

 

I am trying to create a visual, olfactory and sound installation to compliment my duo exhibition with Cathryn Miller at the Mendel Art Gallery in January 2015, which focuses on the bees and its link to our lives.

Concurrent with my exhibition; my students will be creating papier-mâché bees for a beehive-like installation, and a colony collapse sculpture from clay, that will be installed at the Meewasin Valley Centre. 

I am creating a multi-sensory link between the two exhibitions along the riverbank, creating a temporary art walk.  The project is funded in part by the City of Saskatoon - Placemaker program.

I will install interlinked clay honeycomb shapes in the trees, in clusters. These hexagons that are interlinked and can't separate and  will be dipped in beeswax; that's where the sense of smell comes in. they will be installed  in the trees about every 50 meters along the riverbank from the Mendel (beginning in the Conservatory) to the Meewasin (ending inside the 3D beehive made by my students) from December to the end February of 2015.  It is estimated that there will be 45 clusters for the riverbank walk and another 15 for the other locations around Saskatoon.  The interconnected hexagons are a symbol of colony collapse and the interconnectedness of all of us in the world.  The hexagons will move in the wind and will create an interesting sound along the riverbank.

Saskatchewan potters who are members of SASK Terra will be involved in the project, making hexagons in their studio, sending them to me and I will interconnect them in my studio.  This part of the project will really create the sense of a beehive where many people work together to create one piece.

I think it will be interesting introduce the visual and the smell of beehives to the trail in the middle of winter. It will be totally unexpected and will create conversation, which is what I like to do with my work. Plus, smelling part of summer in winter can't hurt in a place that is so cold.

I am also creating hexagon clusters with students and will post images here of that process as well. I have worked with students in three schools so far to create hexagon clusters for at the Meewasin Valley Center.  St John School, Pope John Paul II School and Georges Vanier School. 

 Hexagon tiles for St. John School drying

 

 

Hexagons for St. John School and John Paul II School in the kiln.

The team helping me to load the kiln.

  

More shots from St. John School, the presentation, the explanation and the creating.

 

Rolling the slabs in my studio

 

Explaining the Process

 

Making Hexagons

BIG INK - Big Bees

I am heading to the states next month to print this very large woodcut for The BIG INK project with Lyell Castonguay.

It is a tesselating piece in that the bees on the long sides match up and make a full bee. So I will be printing it on a very large sheet of paper 36 x 48" in size. I am super excited. The images below are of the process of carving the block.

   

Paper Doll - Ravishing in Red

Hot of the printing press, literally. This piece is a paper doll with many, many clothes. She is mounted in a deep box frame.

The Reason

I have finished the clay piece, The Reason, based upon the well know poem by an anonymous writer. The piece was partly inspired by seeing the play Beauty and the Beast and the opportunity to see the elaborate costumes up close in a back stage visit. Thanks Rebecca.

The piece is made up of three individual pieces each representing part of the poem, The Reason, The Season and the Lifetime. The sculptures create hearts at the openings at the top and all three intertwined also create heart shapes.

It will be exhibited May 5-16, 2014 at the Gordon Snelgrove Gallery on the University of Saskatchewan Campus.

Born Twice

Just finished this today.  It is the lifecycle of the bee.  Reductive technique linocuts dipped in beeswax.  Some prints have 12 colours.

The text is a writing from 1572, La Masion Rustique by Charles Estienne.

 

Charles Estienne, La Maison Rustique (1572)

Trans. Richard Surflet (1600)

The householder shall make choice for the keeping of his bees of some fit and secret place in his Garden of Pleasure, in the bottome of some valley if it be possible, to the end they may the more easily rise on high to fly abroad to get their food, as also for that when they be laden, they descend more easily downward with their load. But let us see to it especially that the place be open to the South sun, and yet notwithstanding, neither exceeding in heat nor in cold, but temperate; and that the same by hill, wall or some other rampart be defended from windes and tempests, and so also as that they may flie their sundrie and severall waies for to get diversitie of pastures, and so again may returned to their little cottages laden with their composition of hony; and againe in such a place, as wherein there is great quantitie of thyme, organie, ivie, winter savorie, wild thyme, rosemary, sage, corneflag or gladdon, gilleflowres, violets, white lilies, roses, flowre-gentill, basil, saffron, beanes, poppie, melilot, milfoile and other sweet herbs.