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yegarts · 6 years ago

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Introducing the ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) River Lot 11∞ Artists ~ Mary Anne Barkhouse

(Reign - detail of the coyote - image, Chelsea Boida - Edmonton Arts Council)

ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) River Lot 11∞ - Edmonton’s Indigenous Art Park is scheduled to open this fall. As the spring and summer progress, installation of artworks by Duane Linklater, Amy Malbeuf, Marianne Nicolson, Tiffany Shaw-Collinge, and Jerry Whitehead will be completed. In anticipation of the park opening, the YEGArts Blog will feature conversations with the artists about their artworks and the inspirations behind them.

Today we feature Mary Anne Barkhouse, a jeweler and sculptor based in Ontario, and who belongs to the Nimpkish band of the Kwakiutl First Nation. Her artwork is called Reign.

(Installation of the granite pillar - image EAC)

Edmonton Arts Council: Could you walk us through the components and imagery of Reign - the pavers, granite pedestal, hare, and coyote?

The granite pedestal is a 3 x 3 x 6-foot-tall single piece of deep red granite, finished to a high polish. Situated atop the pedestal is a reclining coyote cast in bronze, curled up in a resting pose … yet still alert with ears forward and listening.

(Hare awaiting final installation - image EAC)

Located at the base of the stand is a hare – or jack-rabbit – also cast in bronze, relaxing in an aspect of composed vigilance on the side of the pedestal opposite from the coyote’s view.

(Dinosaur detail - Image, EAC)

Etched onto the four sides of the granite pedestal are images from the fossil record of the locale … reflecting life-forms from millions of years ago such as the Edmontosaurus and Albertosaurus, respectively a hadrosaur and a theropod – predator and prey from another era.

(Paving stones engraved with plant life important to humans and wildlife - image EAC)

All sit within a circular area of grey granite pavers engraved with images of local plant-life that holds importance for humans and beasts alike. A few examples are wild strawberry, blueberry, and kinnikinnick (some of which have been found in ancient campsites found in the area).

(Clay model of the hare & scale model. The bronze coyote and hare began as detailed clay sculptures before being cast at a foundry - image, Mary Anne Barkhouse)

EAC: What does the hierarchy of predator, prey, and plants symbolize?

I wouldn’t necessarily use “hierarchy” in describing the components of the installation, I envision the idea of “network” more as the descriptor.

The life forms that are depicted, from past and present, have relationships to each other that speak to trophic antecedents that pre-date humanity’s time on earth by millions of years … and while I realize that is a very complex discussion in itself, from a cultural and scientific point of view, I was also trying to have the characters in the work be evocative of the checks and balances the evolutionary process has fine-tuned.

(Inside the coyote sculpture - image EAC)

EAC: Looking at your body of work, animals figure prominently. Why do you have such an affinity for them?

My affinity for animals probably goes back to my childhood. I was lucky to have myriad experiences of both domestic and wild animals from time spent with my grandfathers and other members of my family.

One lived on the east coast in Nova Scotia and had a farm, which raised dairy cattle (all milked by hand) and had an assortment of other livestock such as chickens and pigs, as well as growing vegetables and grain. An enormous endeavour whichever way you think about it.

My grandfather on the west coast was a salmon fisherman and lived facing the water in Alert Bay, BC. From the front porch I could see any number of birds, such as eagles, cormorants, and all sorts of diving ducks – sometimes, if we were lucky, orcas could be spotted passing by the island. When I was on the boat with him we would often have dolphins racing off the waves coming from the bow of the boat – it looked like they were having a lot of fun.

I am, and always have been, endlessly fascinated with how each creature fits its niche in the ecosystem and the diversity of strategies that nature has come up with for survival. I’m fortunate that I have family right across the country who have helped me to explore the landscape and its feathered and furred inhabitants.

(Reign nearing completion - image EAC)

EAC: The creatures seem fairly relaxed – not what you’d expect from predator and prey –

[When I was creating Reign] I had been re-reading a sort of ‘manifesto’ that artist Marina Abramovic had written … and part of it is this:

AN ARTIST’S RELATION TO SILENCE:

AN ARTIST HAS TO UNDERSTAND SILENCE

AN ARTIST HAS TO CREATE A SPACE FOR SILENCE TO ENTER HIS WORK

SILENCE IS LIKE AN ISLAND IN THE MIDDLE OF A TURBULENT OCEAN

Then fast forward to an afternoon some while ago when my neighbour was watching a flock of wild turkeys scrounging around across the beaver pond from her, and from out of the forest came three wolves. They, too, were scrounging around and the turkeys weren’t bothered by their presence at all … in fact, if anything, the turkeys were warning the wolves off a bit as they felt they had the right to that particular patch of whatever it was as they had seen it first.

The wolves didn’t act in an aggressive way whatsoever towards the turkeys, and I have noticed this behaviour with other predator/prey interactions over the years … the subtleties of that communication of when the hunt is on, versus when they’re out for, what? a Sunday stroll?, are lost on me.

But it’s these complex moments, which abound in nature, that are the inspiration [for the relationship] between the coyote and the jack rabbit. It’s their moment of reflective solitude and silence.

(Context shot showing the relationship of the artwork to its setting)

EAC: Why this title?

At the time that I was developing my proposal for this work I had been living in Paris, conducting research while on a Canada Council of the Arts residency.

Part of my research was into how land is used to assert authority … and some classic examples of this particular expression of sovereignty exist in and around Paris via the work of landscape architect, André le Nôtre, who worked for, amongst many notable others, Louis XIV, masterminding the likes of gardens at Vaux-le-Vicomte, the Tuileries and Versailles.

So, I was immersed in these ideologies around supreme moral and political power while at the same time reflecting on how transient and fleeting it can be, especially when it collides with the echoes of evolution on our little planet. The Time of the Great Lizards vs the Time of the Sun King? It really is no contest … what ultimately has “reign” are the natural forces.

(Paver showing Common Plantain [Plantago Major] used as a herbal remedy for many illnesses - Image EAC)

EAC: What story are you telling?

I was reflecting on the fact that many public monuments are dedicated to remembrance of war or as a statement of authority – be it religious or secular. I wanted to create a piece that subverted that idea, to focus the attention on land, as opposed to the political status quo and, in so doing, engage in narratives that would tell alternate histories of land and the Indigenous inhabitants.

EAC: Why do you feel this art park is important/relevant

I was reading a book called Coyotes Still Sing in My Valley: Conserving Biodiversity in a Northern City, edited by Ross W. Wein. It was published in 2006 so I think it was meant to coincide roughly with the 100 years of Edmonton becoming a city.

In one passage he was discussing how many elements of Edmonton’s history are celebrated in places such as Old Fort Edmonton and the Royal Alberta Museum … and then went on to say that “A celebration of the Aboriginal cultures that depended on the original ecosystems is more difficult to find”.

I think that initiatives such as ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) River Lot 11∞ are important as a step towards rectifying that situation … I realize that perspectives have undergone a change in the city since 2006, and Edmonton is one of the first (to my knowledge) to be making any kind of outreach to its indigenous community as far as inclusiveness to its processes … but there is much yet to do. I am very honoured to be included as part of this, and I also acknowledge the great responsibility that goes with that.

(Panoramic image of the ᐄᓃᐤ (ÎNÎW) River Lot 11∞ site before redevelopment in 2015)

EAC: What inspired you to submit a concept back in 2016?

The short answer is … the land.

I have fond memories of walking by the river and observing the bank beavers that are resident there … I have also frequently observed the hares and coyotes that go about their business in the valley … and that laid the foundation of the inspiration for, not only the piece, but also an incentive for sharing my experiences with the community.

I have a final thought - In a recent documentary on coy-wolves (which now seems to be the prevalent species in the eastern parts of the continent) I heard the statistic that in Chicago alone there are probably at least 8000 animals … largely undetected by the human population as they, the coy-wolves, like their cousin the coyote, are masters of stealth.

What that led me to think was this … if Chicago has 8000 coyotes and coy-wolves living within the city limits, I can only imagine what number Edmonton would have.

(Coyote at rest - image, EAC)

And whatever their number is, I rather like the idea of, literally, putting the humble coyote up on a pedestal. There are few other animals that have been as persecuted as the coyote, although long respected in myriad Indigenous cultures, since the advent of European habitation in the Americas, coyotes have been vilified, shot, poisoned, trapped, gassed, and exploded while being hunted from both land and air … and yet there are now more coyotes in North America than there were 500 years ago.

Now that is a testament to adaptability and perseverance, and an inspiration to overcome whatever challenges may lay ahead!

#maryannebarkhouse #canadianindigenousart #yegpublicart #publicart #yegarts #iniwriverlot11 #queenelizabethpark #artpark #canadianart #yegparks #yeg #edmonton

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