Admare Ongoing Research: Adrift

Photographic transfertype, 10" x 30" Print. 

Adrift inquires to the eroding coastlines of Atlantic Canada - The Menagoesenog/Magdalen Islands of Quebec; North Rustico of Prince Edward Island; and the community of "Redhead" Saint John, New Brunswick. The works were made in response to Admare's Ongoing Research, an exhibition of works pertaining to social, environmental, and identarian issues within Atlantic Canada.

Acetone and Oil Monoprint 1-9, 

8.5” x 14” Print 

Scars follows those affected by  the dramatic flooding that took place in New Brunswick in 2018 and 2019—the individuals, families, and entities standing resilient as they don high cut rubber boots and fishing waders, load everything into a boat, and set off across a once dry land.  In the Scars prints, imagery from flood coverage shot by CBC, CTV, Global, and other news sources is struck with harsh gashes of red.  The intentionally discordant mono-printed marks  refer to the shade of red often mobilized by government sources and media outlets to indicate potential hazard areas during New Brunswick’s spring floods. Records of such swamping date back as far back as 1696 when a late spring freshet hampered a small French settlement at Jemseg. Seasonal flooding along the Saint John River or Wolastoq—as it was originally designated by the Wolastoqiyik Peoples—, have likely occurred for a time incalculable. The same can be said for the Kennebecasis, Miramichi, and Restigouche rivers, but never have  these watersheds consecutively slogged communities with the kind of  rapid flooding endured in recent years as a result of climate change. Fredericton and her neighbors have seen their fair share of overflows, but the years of 2018 and 2019 out-scaled even the highest predictions. Rothesay’s pumping and sewage stations were swallowed by the Kennebecasis while Hampton saw many homes and cottages dismantled into heaps of sodden wood— structures that had narrowly survived the temperamental floods of 2008. Even the meager Trout Creek of Sussex swelled beyond belief in 2019, spurring evacuations. All of this amounts to a staggering economic toll, roughly $80 million in damages in 2018 alone, a price that  an already scant  province cannot expect to bare—certainly not year after year. And the human impact is equally significant. Places like Maugerville are shrinking and property developments in Southern New Brunswick have slowed dramatically while many residents take  to higher ground leaving behind a myriad of broken real-estate, unlikely to be reclaimed. It is clear that the  turbulent swelling of these waterways will continue to be an annual hardship, destinedonly to grow in scale, until adequate action is taken toward their protection and care 

- Shorelines, 2021

Shorelines: Climate Concern & Creativity is a collaborative project that promotes an ongoing dialogue between environmental action and artistic practice in New Brunswick. The publication was conceived and realized by two non-profit organizations, the community-based environmental organization, ACAP Saint John, and Third Space Gallery, Saint John’s artist-run centre for contemporary art. 

Presented by Third Space Galley, published by Goose Lane Editions

Contributors: Patrick Allaby, Amy Ash, Jack Bishop, Bailey Brogan, Katie Buckley, Nathan Cann, Chris Donovan, Sara Griffin, Hailey Guzik, Sarah Jones, Jericho Knopp, Jamylynn McDonald, Christiana Myers, Ben Peterson, Bethany Reinhart, Graeme Stewart-Robertson, Kate Wallace, Laura Watson, and KC Wilcox.

1 Flood Details - 1696-01-01 - 1696-12-31, Government of New Brunswick, 2012, www.elgegl.gnb.ca/0001/en/Flood/Details/3. 

2  Fraser , Elizabeth. “Flood Recovery Costs Could Hit $80M, Minister Says | CBC News.” CBCnews, CBC/Radio Canada, 18 May 2018, www.cbc.ca/news/canada/new-brunswick/flood-new-brunswick-2018-1.4668529.

Installation 

Acetone & Xylene photo transfer types.

Various shells & sand dollars, lobster bobs, broken glass/glasses, beer cans, milk containers, foam and driftwood.  

18” x 24” Print

The Magdalen isles, a place of things well painted. My intention with this residency was to find the spirit of the isles. Not a ghost or haunted house, but that which draws people to this place of cold waters and winds. Is it the rugged scene, the towering dunes, fresh seafood, or an estranged air of ease – something akin to an Atlantic Hawaii? I think it’s a mixture of everything sprinkled with francophone cultural and how it has claimed this land; particularly, these lush houses of untamable colors. Houses not painted to match their wild surroundings, rather, to emulate them. And this idea extends to (almost) every corner of the isles. From their boats to the dog’s house, everything has a style all its own. Still, amongst all the beauty of these quaint homes sits the remnants of tourism and industry. Every beach has its own debris in the form of broken bottles, seashells and the forlorn bobs used in lobster fishing. It is these washed out things that form a peculiar duality, one that is starkly contrasting in southern sunsets of Havre-Aubert and indistinguishable in the northern ice of Grosse-Île.

Visit www.wellpaintedplaces.com for more.