At this time I was making spatial drawings with thread, based on stellar maps particular to the timing and location of each exhibition, in combination with architectural, geographical, or bodily places here on the ground. In Somewhere behind my heart (2008) a structure of monofilament, based on a magnification of the skin on my back is suspended over a map of the stars as they were positioned overhead during the exhibition. The stars are mapped on the floor as steel weights, the pores-as-stars hover overhead, and between, I hand-crocheted invisible thread into a vaulted architecture of cellular layers. The pores and stars are the dimension of my body, standing within the artwork as I was building it. Loops of thread disappear into the shadows, reinforcing the interiority of the work.
(Also shown at Circling the Inverse Square, Kitchener-Waterloo Art Gallery, Kitchener, Ontario, 2013. Curated by Shannon Anderson.)
Also on view in exhibition:
Fall Equinox: Cygnus, 24 hours, over Montreal: silverpoint and steel on mylar, 25 x 20 cm, 2008 / Equinoxe d’automne: Cygne, 24 heures, au-dessus de Montréal: argent et acier sur mylar, 25 x 20 cm, 2008 (private collection/ collection privé)
Midsummer: Ursa Major, 24 hours, over North York, Ontario: silverpoint and steel on mylar, 25 x 20 cm, 2008 / Solstice d’été: Grande Ourse, 24 heures, au-dessus de North York, Ontario: argent et acier sur mylar, 25 x 20 cm, 2008 (private collection / collection privé)
Clouded Cygnus 1 (4:30 pm, November 1, 2008, Montreal): nylon monofilament, stainless steel, size varies, 2008/ Cygne ennuagé 1 (16h30, 1er novembre 2008, Montréal): monofilament de nylon, acier inoxydable, taille variable, 2008 (private collection / collection privé)
Clouded Cygnus 2 (5:30 pm, November 1, 2008, Montreal): nylon monofilament, stainless steel, size varies, 2008/ Cygne ennuagé 2 (17h30, 1er novembre 2008, Montréal): monofilament de nylon, acier inoxydable, taille variable, 2008 (private collection / collection privé)
Midwinter: Cygnus & Ursa Major, 24 hours; Corvus, 7am-3pm, over Montreal: silverpoint and steel on mylar, 30 x 25 cm, 2008/ Solstice d’hiver: Cygne et Grande Ourse, 24 heures; Corneille, 7h-15h, au-dessus de Montréal: argent et acier sur mylar, 30 x 25 cm, 2008 (private collection / collection privé)
Epidermal troposphere: silver and steel on mylar, 43 x 55 cm, 2008/ Troposphère épidermique: argent et acier sur mylar, 43 x 55 cm, 2008
Untitled: archival inkjet print on paper, edition of 3, 32.5 x 42.5 cm, 2008/ Untitled: empreinte d’encre sur papier, édition de 3, 32.5 x 42.5 cm, 2008
The three drawings on mylar are made with silver point and steel, the silver darkening over time, though the drawn lines begin life as barely visible reflections of light. A continuation of my Invisible Drawings series, where I have often built up ovoid shapes with materials or techniques that challenge perception, such as water on paper or scratches on clear plastic, three follow the paths of constellations overhead, while Epidermal troposphere is based on a cross section of skin on a fingertip. Here the cells forms extra layers beneath the outer epidermis, one of which is called stratum lucidum because it appears to be transparent. These upper layers are all flattened, dead cells which are continually being shed to become invisible particles in the air around us, our unseen, personal troposphere (the first layer of Earth’s atmosphere) at a site sensitive to touch.
The Untitled photograph is from my series Out Here in Space. (link)
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