Jul
21
Shed Markings
Posted by: lmairs | July 21, 2010 | Leave a Comment
The summer program for the Eco Art Project officially launched last Saturday, so glad to see such a busy and inquisitive crowd of people. I walked the park no less than 7 times that day and still didn’t get to visit with everyone, oi vey.
The first thing that greets you with this second season is the work by Shed Simas a native Brazilian and here in Canada for the past two years, he is the student assistant hired for summer support work on the project. Shed has etched a large scale drawing of the endangered Western Screech Owl into the gravel of the parking lot. It makes sense. He is South American and this drawing is reminiscent of the Nazca drawings in Peru. That he selected our resident endangered species is to his credit for going the extra step to find significant content that harmonizes with the context of the piece.
Shed raked the parking lot, laid out a grid pattern and etched his owl into the gravel with a hoe. In this image he is watering the etched lines to give it more substance and in the hopes of creating a little more longevity for the piece.
photo Margo Yacheshyn
Here’s the owl completed. The form rocks although it’s fading as the days go by while the cars and people do their bit to obliterate its precision.
We didn’t do a formal count the day of the summer program opening but estimated about 80-100 people came through. In total there were 16 pieces toview that included a soapstone bear sculpture by Corky Hewson.
photo Margo Yacheshyn
photo margo Yacheshyn
We included maps this time around because so much of the work was subtle and definitley site specific. This work above, by Brenda Feist, is a perfect example. She has mapped systems of the body and placed the images against the backdrop of the systems of the forest. She mimicks the line that follows branches and leaf patterns with the branch-like tentacles of the ciculatory system and the systems of the body that give us life. Look closely for these, they are subtley placed, delicately executed, and powerful in their simplicity.
Thanks to Margo for being our photographer for the day and for all the volunteers who helped out.
Come on a Sunday and Shed will be here to offer you an MP3 players that has a short film on it.
Woodhaven Nature Conservancy 4711 Raymer Road, Kelowna