Water, vines and willows
2023
Tkaronto/Toronto is built on the paths of multiple buried waterways. These waterways have an ongoing liveliness and continue to express agency through their interconnection with other beings. The work in this exhibition is a collaboration with one of the city’s most hidden waterways, Russell Creek, or as I call it, the invisible creek. In a process of research-creation, interconnections and entanglements of relation are explored through walking, foraging, pigments and experimental printmaking. This work challenges notions of self-reliant individualism, and asks what other works are made possible when attunement is shifted to the expansive networks of care at the edges of perception?
Download research-creation thesis.
Gathering Traces: Water, foil lithography, 20.32 cm x 25.4 cm (8 in x 10 in), 2023.
Gathering Traces: Water, foil lithography, 20.32 cm x 25.4 cm (8 in x 10 in), 2023.
Gathering Traces: Virginia Creeper, foil lithography, 20.32 cm x 25.4 cm (8 in x 10 in), 2023.
Gathering Traces: Virginia Creeper, foil lithography, 20.32 cm x 25.4 cm (8 in x 10 in), 2023.
Gathering Traces: Snowmelt, foil lithography, 20.32 cm x 25.4 cm (8 in x 10 in), 2023.
Gathering Traces: Snowmelt, foil lithography, 20.32 cm x 25.4 cm (8 in x 10 in), 2023.
Gathering Traces: Riverbank Grapes, foil lithography, 20.32 cm x 25.4 cm (8 in x 10 in), 2023.
Gathering Traces: Riverbank Grapes, foil lithography, 20.32 cm x 25.4 cm (8 in x 10 in), 2023.
Gathering Traces: Soil, foil lithography, 20.32 cm x 25.4 cm (8 in x 10 in), 2023.
Gathering Traces: Soil, foil lithography, 20.32 cm x 25.4 cm (8 in x 10 in), 2023.
Exhibition at Ignite Gallery, Tkaronto/Toronto, 2023
View of exhibition in Ignite Gallery, looking east. This image shows the three elements of the exhibition: Gathering Traces, an installation of the outcomes of the experimental printmaking processes engaged with in collaboration with the creek, Slow Flow, an audio/video installation of walking the path of the creek, and World Making of the Creek, an installation that brings together the world making of the creek with reciprocal foraging practices and pigment making. 2023.
View of exhibition in Ignite Gallery, looking east. This image shows the three elements of the exhibition: Gathering Traces, an installation of the outcomes of the experimental printmaking processes engaged with in collaboration with the creek, Slow Flow, an audio/video installation of walking the path of the creek, and World Making of the Creek, an installation that brings together the world making of the creek with reciprocal foraging practices and pigment making. 2023.
View of exhibition in Ignite Gallery, looking west. This image shows Gathering Traces, an installation of eight 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frames, each with sixteen 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints. There is a total of 128 prints. Hanging from fishing line, both the prints and the frames respond to bodies and movement in the space, reflecting the animacy of the creek. On the right is a plinth with assembled copies of the zine Russell Creek Pt. One: Headwaters for visitors to take home. 2023.
View of exhibition in Ignite Gallery, looking west. This image shows Gathering Traces, an installation of eight 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frames, each with sixteen 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints. There is a total of 128 prints. Hanging from fishing line, both the prints and the frames respond to bodies and movement in the space, reflecting the animacy of the creek. On the right is a plinth with assembled copies of the zine Russell Creek Pt. One: Headwaters for visitors to take home. 2023.
Gathering Traces: foil lithography, water marbling, suminagashi, and monoprinting
Through embodied and rhythmic processes of print making, the creek and I gather traces of our world making. In this, we strive for the creation of opportunities for other possible worlds.
Gathering Traces detail. Frame One, 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frame with 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints, foil lithography, water marbling, suminagashi, and monoprinting. 2023.
Gathering Traces detail. Frame One, 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frame with 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints, foil lithography, water marbling, suminagashi, and monoprinting. 2023.
Gathering Traces detail. Frame Two, 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frame with 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints, foil lithography, water marbling, suminagashi, and monoprinting. 2023.
Gathering Traces detail. Frame Two, 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frame with 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints, foil lithography, water marbling, suminagashi, and monoprinting. 2023.
Gathering Traces detail. Frame Three, 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frame with 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints, foil lithography, water marbling, suminagashi, and monoprinting. 202
Gathering Traces detail. Frame Three, 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frame with 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints, foil lithography, water marbling, suminagashi, and monoprinting. 202
Gathering Traces detail. Frame Four, 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frame with 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints, foil lithography, water marbling, suminagashi, and monoprinting. 2023.
Gathering Traces detail. Frame Four, 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frame with 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints, foil lithography, water marbling, suminagashi, and monoprinting. 2023.
Gathering Traces detail. Frame Five, 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frame with 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints, foil lithography, water marbling, suminagashi, and monoprinting. 2023.
Gathering Traces detail. Frame Five, 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frame with 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints, foil lithography, water marbling, suminagashi, and monoprinting. 2023.
Gathering Traces detail. Frame Six, 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frame with 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints, foil lithography, water marbling, suminagashi, and monoprinting. 2023.
Gathering Traces detail. Frame Six, 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frame with 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints, foil lithography, water marbling, suminagashi, and monoprinting. 2023.
Gathering Traces detail. Frame Seven, 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frame with 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints, foil lithography, water marbling, suminagashi, and monoprinting. 2023.
Gathering Traces detail. Frame Seven, 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frame with 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints, foil lithography, water marbling, suminagashi, and monoprinting. 2023.
Gathering Traces detail. Frame Eight, 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frame with 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints, foil lithography, water marbling, suminagashi, and monoprinting. 2023.
Gathering Traces detail. Frame Eight, 1 metre x 1.2 metre (3.5 ft x 4 ft) frame with 20.3 cm x 15.25 cm (8 in x 6 in) and 25.4 cm x 20.3 cm (10 in x 8 in) prints, foil lithography, water marbling, suminagashi, and monoprinting. 2023.
World Making of the Creek: water, soil, riparian plants
The creek’s ongoing presence supports multiple networks of interpermeated beings. Responsible and reciprocal foraging of materials for printmaking and wild inks is one of the ways the through which the creek has been invited to collaborate in this work.
Thanks especially to the willow trees, riverbank grapes, trumpet flowers, virginia creeper, goldenrod, walnut trees, sumac and buckthorn for demonstrating and sharing with me the world making of the creek.
World Making of the Creek is an installation that honours the creek’s ongoing presence and expresses gratitude for its support of multiple networks of interpermated beings. This installation displays water, willow materials, and bottled inks made with material gathered through reciprocal foraging practices. 2023.
World Making of the Creek is an installation that honours the creek’s ongoing presence and expresses gratitude for its support of multiple networks of interpermated beings. This installation displays water, willow materials, and bottled inks made with material gathered through reciprocal foraging practices. 2023.
World Making of the Creek details, tabletop with inks, water and branches gathered from the creek. 2023.
World Making of the Creek details, tabletop with inks, water and branches gathered from the creek. 2023.
World Making of the Creek details, bottled inks made with willow trees, riverbank grapes, trumpet flowers, virginia creeper, goldenrod, walnut trees, sumac, buckthorn and copper oxide gathered through reciprocal foraging practices. 2023.
World Making of the Creek details, bottled inks made with willow trees, riverbank grapes, trumpet flowers, virginia creeper, goldenrod, walnut trees, sumac, buckthorn and copper oxide gathered through reciprocal foraging practices. 2023.
World Making of the Creek details, water gathered from the creek with willow materials. 2023.
World Making of the Creek details, water gathered from the creek with willow materials. 2023.
Slow Flow: audio/video, 3 hours
Walking path developed based on the growth of riverbank plants, tracing the movement of the creek through time on historic maps and a relative elevation model of the area.
First part of the video takesplace in the fall of 2022 and follows the path from the north near Bathurst and Harbord to the lower Simcoe Street underpass.
Second part of the video walks the same path during the winter of 2023, this time walking from the south end of the creek to the north.
Accompanying the video is a looped audio recording of another buried waterway in the city, Moutray Stream.
Slow Flow, a 2.5 hour audio/video installation that shows walking the creek in two parts. 2023.
Slow Flow, a 2.5 hour audio/video installation that shows walking the creek in two parts. 2023.
Slow Flow didactic with hand drawn map of path of the invisible creek. 2023.
Slow Flow didactic with hand drawn map of path of the invisible creek. 2023.
