Summer 2017

Bonavista Biennial, Newfoundland, Canada

 

Outdoor Installation

Conifer trees, oil, red ochre pigment

 

Nine inverted trees coated in red ochre along the crest of the curving barachois, a geological feature of coves and sheltered areas in coastal regions of Newfoundland.

The inverted trees appear to be waiting…

The history of the island is alive with memories of waiting…

The Beothuk waited for the return of the hunters who went out onto the ocean in their deep ‘V’ hulled birch bark canoes…

The settlers waited for the return of the fishermen and sealers who went out onto the ocean in their wooden dories…

and families waited for the return of those searching the forest for firewood, building materials and food.

The exposed tree roots address the interwoven concerns witnessed by countless generations of Newfoundland’s inhabitants.