summer

Lots of flowers that were 'dispersed' from the (Re)Seed installation (by Susie Osler) at the New Art Festival (Ottawa) have been re-seeded and photos have been coming in.  You can check them all out with descriptions of where they have been put by going to the (Re)Seed Photo Gallery.  New photos will continue to be added as they trickle in so check in every now and again!  And big THANKS  to those who have participated so far!

It was a cool grey weekend in the Tay Valley Township with continuous precipitation fluctuating from drizzle to showers. The animal filled weekend was full of strange coincidences that oddly resonated with my installation at FieldWork. My work generally explored ideas of how boundaries between the constructed and natural world are constantly shifting and the way in which these defined spaces are challenged and transform over time.

The weekend stay at our annual summer getaway at Lochdale Farm , near the FieldWork site, had an ominous start. Driving past the gates of the farm we discovered, to our dismay, a coyote corpse intertwined in the fence. The propped up position of the animal suggested it was killed while trespassing - it's body used to frighten and prevent other coyotes from entering the property.

We were struck by the irony that, in our trunk, we were transporting a 3D coyote decoy used to “rid an area of disease carrying Canada Geese”. The plastic coyote was one of several objects incorporated into FieldWork installation which was a nod to Joseph Beuys famous 1974 performance, I Like America and America Likes Me, where the artist spent three days in a NYC gallery with a felt blanket, a flashlight, a cane and a live coyote.

Beuys acknowledged the spiritual significance of animals, the meanings and symbols they convey and how their disappearance and decimation is a sign of global and societal ills. The animals that are thriving, coyotes being in this group, are the ones that have adapted to an expanding urban environment. Back in Toronto, soon after the install at Fieldwork, were reports of a raccoon killing attempt by an irate home owner claiming to protect his garden. The article suggested Coyote urine an effective repellent to urban raccoons.

For more photos of Coyote Illumination click here and/or visit the gallery on this website in the menu to the right called 'spring/summer 2011 - coyote illumination'

fieldwork had a great time at The New Art Festival in Ottawa last weekend and wow, thanks everyone for your participation!  Approximately 1600 flowers were 'picked' by visitors to the festival from the installation, to be 're-seeded'  in places needing some life, beauty, nature and/or spirit - offerings by you (participants) out to the world.  The photos have begun to roll in - WONDERFUL- and I will be posting them and any comments weekly in the (Re)Seed Gallery, along with my reflections on the project in the (Re)Seed Blog. 

To listen to Steven White's Piano Pendlum click on the video below.

Despite the continuing grey weather a great crowd of people came out to celebrate  the opening of fieldwork's Summer 2011 installations with us.  Great food, wonderful, imaginative installations, lovely people and a lovely space.  What more does one need on a sombre May afternoon? After a long winter, and a couple of barren weeks, the field is now showing off its 'summer collection'!   More pictures will be posted soon in the 'spring/summer 2011 gallery' in the menu to the right.

Come visit!

fieldwork is holding the opening of its Summer Art Installations this Sunday, May 15^th between 2-4 pm.  

Participating artists are Steven White (Owen Sound), Jennifer Ryder-Jones (Almonte), Michael Alstad (Toronto), and the Bakerygroup (Marcin Padlewski and Anissa Szeto-Padlewski (Clayton)).  (Click on their names to view their websites). 

The installations, each a unique visual response to the nature of the site itself, result also from each artist’s specific interests and methods of working.  Steven White’s work Piano Pendulum invites participation from the public (and nature) and highlights his interest in ‘accidental’ music, nature and technology.  Jennifer Ryder-Jones’ Scrag-ends/Scarecrows contemplate the notion of ‘waste’, renewal and decay.  Michael Alstad’s Coyote Illumination brings some drama and light to the field and investigates the relationship/tension between humans, the wild, and nature.  Finally, the Bakerygroup’s Inside/Out invites us to ponder our perception of art and how it is influenced by the environment that ‘frames’ the art-viewing experience.

Bring your family and friends out this Sunday (May 15, 2-4 pm) for a walk around the field to explore this new work and meet the artists.  All are welcome.  Light refreshments will be available. The Summer Installations will remain in the field until the end of August.