I'm just putting the finishing touches on my pre-thesis exhibition Hare in Situ at Ottawa U's Theatre LabO in the Ottawa Art Gallery complex. Its been an interesting challenge working in a large black box space, when I've been so accustomed to white gallery walls. I'd like to extend a huge thankyou to Visual Arts department techs Sasha Phipps and David McDougall as well as Theatre techs Liam and Abby for making things happen.
Hare in Situ explores animality and animals particularly the hare. In tandem with my interest in animal studies and ecology, my work delves into concepts related to the bodily, the intuitive and the material. While the study of animality uncovers negative and precarious aspects of being a nonhuman, the production of my art has always encompassed the positive aspects of it as well, specifically a more expansive sense of identity.
The installation uses handmade paper, sculpture, animation, and sound to depict the hare’s habitat. I have assembled a thicket with branches constructed with papier-mache, gypsum strips and abaca pulp and furnished these tree limbs with raw hemp fibre which serves as foliage. I have used discarded bed sheets and other fabrics to create tree roots and wound hemp around picture wire to create springy tendrils. I have arranged, pulp-based hare and rabbit ears, with the distinct resemblance to funguses, on the floor and walls.
The installation uses light, touch, and sound to create an immersive environment to provoke an immersive experience. More photos to come soon!