Eating the Swamp
Usnea lichen, Varied rag lichen, sugar, condoms, environmental yeast, mud, microbes, gorilla tape, inkjet prints, rubber tubing, egg shells, single use plastics, glass jars, reindeer hair, grouse feathers, snow, spit, silicone, sand, absence of rock
In April 2022, I was invited to Mustarinda in Hyrynsalmi, Finland. The residency is located adjacent to one of Europe’s last old growth forests. Over the course of a month, I created a body of work shown in the upstairs gallery space. This work is inspired by the local ecologies of peat mires and old growth lichen.
Fermentations made from gathered fallen tree lichens are actively fermenting and off-gassing into the rubber tubing, creating a liminal space in which they are intertwined.
On the ground, assemblages of matter are clustered: vibrant inkjet prints, feathers, reindeer hair, lichen, dirt. Each of these assemblages forms their own lichens, combinations of matter.
Viewers are invited to participate by consuming a glass of homemade rag lichen wine.
The artist would like to thank the Canada Council for the Arts for funding this opportunity.
