Passages
In this installation, I dive deep into a compelling ‘thought-rhythm’ between human life and the natural world that is especially intense during the struggle for survival. Observing a nearby old birch tree succumb to disease moved me beyond a mere encounter with a tree in the outdoor environment towards an encounter with a terrain within myself. The intention of this work is to parallel aspects of the non-human world with that of the human by using processes of artistic intervention that reveal the decline of the birch tree. I gathered organic matter from the tree such as bark and sap as it died. I created a fleshy coloured stain of sap drops on paper to pay hommage to a meaningful wound. Then, I combined these with manufactured objects such as acupuncture needles, a vintage mannequin hand, glass, paper, and photography to memorialize the felled tree. This living artifact display aims to conceive a highly delicate, eerie and fantastical death that finds itself suspended in time. The Passages project became an expression of grief for the tree as well as a means of quietly mourning human loss. I embraced an offer of memorialization of universal grief.
In this installation, I dive deep into a compelling ‘thought-rhythm’ between human life and the natural world that is especially intense during the struggle for survival. Observing a nearby old birch tree succumb to disease moved me beyond a mere encounter with a tree in the outdoor environment towards an encounter with a terrain within myself. The intention of this work is to parallel aspects of the non-human world with that of the human by using processes of artistic intervention that reveal the decline of the birch tree. I gathered organic matter from the tree such as bark and sap as it died. I created a fleshy coloured stain of sap drops on paper to pay hommage to a meaningful wound. Then, I combined these with manufactured objects such as acupuncture needles, a vintage mannequin hand, glass, paper, and photography to memorialize the felled tree. This living artifact display aims to conceive a highly delicate, eerie and fantastical death that finds itself suspended in time. The Passages project became an expression of grief for the tree as well as a means of quietly mourning human loss. I embraced an offer of memorialization of universal grief.
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Connie Chappel
Connie Chappel is a multidisciplinary artist based in Treaty 1 Territory, Winnipeg, Manitoba. She uses photography, sculptural assemblage and installation to explore correlations between the natural world, human life, inanimate objects, and the cycles of growth and decay, life and death. Her experiences and research into death and dying informed her 2019 solo show called Embodiment at aceartinc. Since receiving her BFA with 1st class honours from the University of Manitoba School of Art in Winnipeg, Chappel has received grants from the Manitoba Arts Council and the Winnipeg Arts Council. Her work has been featured in juried exhibitions in Canada, Mexico and Europe. Most recently, she participated in a virtual a residency that included a three-person exhibition, Through Distant Air, at AllArtNowLab, Stockholm, Sweden. Currently, she is partnering with two scientists for a project exploring implications of climate change in relation to the human body and the landscape, notably trees. |
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