VALERIE DURANT | SILENCE OF THE SEA
MARCH 25 – APRIL 22, 2023
ELISSA CRISTALL GALLERY | artoffice is pleased to present Silence of the Sea an exhibition of photography, video and sculpture by Vancouver artist Valerie Durant.
In this exhibition Durant reflects upon the climate crisis and human impact upon the natural world. The installation draws a relationship between resource extraction, deforestation and the consequences on oceans, sea life and on future generations, considering the fluid and seemingly invisible interconnectedness between the land and the sea.
ARTIST TALK and DIALOGUE: Saturday April 15, 2 – 3 pm.
Join Valerie Durant, in this Capture Photo Festival Event on Saturday April 15, from 2 to 3 pm. Durant’s art and research practice is grounded in sustainability, social and climate justice. She will discuss the photography, video, sculpture and sound installed within the gallery. Participants are invited to participate in a dialogue about the intersection between art and climate change. This event is part of the 2023 Capture Photography Festival Events Program.
An integral part of Durant’s process involves the investigation of the continuous cycles of regeneration in nature, through the use and observation of organic materials. In this work, she explores the longevity of inorganic disruptors such as Styrofoam and plastics, of which their existence is eternal and their impact far reaching.
Durant chose this object from the foreshore of the Salish Sea, for its anthropomorphic qualities. She found the partially charred remains, removed of its function as a living tree and she drew a connection between the forest from which it came and the wildfires that raged in the province at the time. Living trees absorb carbon dioxide from the atmosphere, and convert it to stored carbon, however, when forests are burnt, the stored carbon is released into the atmosphere as carbon dioxide. Durant recognized that the tree was emptied of its original meaning by the fire, and created the name, Standing Carbon, referencing the stand of trees where she imagined it may have once existed. Standing Carbon was carefully brought back to the studio, where it was cleaned of sand, seaweed and other debris, and additional charring by fire was added. The work is installed on a custom metal stand.
LOBSTER TRAP EDITIONED PRINT
Purchase a limited editioned print of 25 is available for CA $275.00 until May 15, 2023.
For more information click here.
The artist acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
