(untitled) Auguste and Prince, from
"The Fish in the Water are Thirsty", |
After years of planting trees in Québec and in B.C., and working on the photo project Shaping the New Forest, I decided that I needed a foot in the countryside, to live closer to the land, in a way more sane than planting trees in clear-cuts. Then, from 1995 to 2002, in a partnership between myself and Luc Beauparlant, the place we bought became the base of operations for the artist-run center Boreal Art/Nature where we hosted residencies with artists from all over the world. I began to make photographs around the house, in 1992. Special thanks to Luc and Christine for their care and efforts to practice the art of everyday life on this land. for more, click on the photos |
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" In the series, The Fish in the Water are Thirsty, what is apparent is Gilbert's own intimate investment in the site she attends. It is a subtle, lived engagement distinct from the more overt politic of the New Forest series. Her photographs suggest a way of relating to locale predicated on a close attentiveness: what does it mean to inhabit and observe a place in it's seasonal unfoldings? Though seemingly spontaneous records of natural scenes, the large format negatives and photographs are the result of thoughtful composition and rigorous selection: very few are printed, from hundreds of negatives. Further, "nature" here is not wild, but rural and indeed completely overlain with the marks of enculturation, from the Himalayan gargoyle-style snowman, to the photo captured echo of a 60s land-art inspired spiral on a melting lake." Renee Baert, Curator of Contemporary Art, Ottawa Art Gallery, 2002.
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Installation view of the exhibition
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