Collateral Damage

No Stranger to the Rain

squares of linen, cotton, wool, silk, rayon mordanted and dyed with locally harvested plants such as marigolds, nettles, apple leaves, etc; small squares are stitched together in groups of 9 pieces, groupings are attached to wall in rows and columns 5 pieces wide by 4 pieces high. 198cm x 160cm, attached to the wall by small magnets. 2020.

Louisbourg 46 Years

alder twigs, linen fabric, natural dye materials, linen cord, yellow birch armature. 120cm x 130cm. 2018.

Alder, succession plant in the transition toward new and returning forests and significant to both Mi’kmaq and European people, was invading the road to Kennington Cove where General Wolfe landed his troops before the final conquest. I harvested and peeled the protective bark from alder branches, one for each year the fortress was occupied, and dyed the ends in a bark dye bath, then drilled holes in each stick recording the deaths noted year by year. The cemetery population exceeded the record but was mostly complete.

When the holes represented French deaths they were packed with woad grown near Toulouse, which would have dyed the French uniforms blue; if British they were packed with madder, which would have dyed the British soldiers’ red uniforms (officers wore brighter cochineal dyed uniforms). Small cloth wrappings dyed in the two colours were bound around each stick which were then lashed to a native yellow birch rack, using linen yarn grown and processed in Port Williams. In this way I hoped to approach an evocation of fragility, captivity and tenacity.

Created with support from Parks Canada. Collection of Nova Scotia Art Bank.

Shot Through the Heart

used linen napkins, natural dyes and extracts, oxides and metal salts, mechanical resists, screen printing, discharge, stitching. 274cm x 274cm x 10cm. 2010. Collection of Mount Saint Vincent University Art Gallery.