A figure of Greek mythology, Pandora was gifted by Zeus with
a beautiful box. When the box was opened,
a host of plagues escaped to harass mankind. Only Hope remained in the box.
The term “Pandora’s
Box” has since gained currency as a
metaphor for unintended , negative and irreversible consequences. It’s a term often used in relation to the nuclear industry.Most recently Pandora’s name has been invoked by the opponents
of those who are searching for a
willing community to “host” a nuclear waste
dump.
Pandora, now a student of alchemy,
journals about the issue in her childish handwriting as she practises drawing alchemical symbols.
Her notebook is found tucked into a
canister designed for underground storage of spent nuclear fuel rods. The dyed and stained pages
of the notebook evoke the smoke and steam we fear in the event of a nuclear
accident.
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| Pandora's Cannister, closed |
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| Pandora's Cannister, open |
How to Mend a Barn
There is such beauty in the century-old barns that grace the
rural Ontario landscape. Sadly, many
have fallen into such a state of disrepair that they are being replaced by spanking new steel edifices. But others have been patched and repaired over
time. Their owners, masters of the art
of recycling and repurposing, use
whatever materials are at hand to
shore up the old buildings: old signage, rusty sheet metal, left-over paint and
lumber. In so doing, they create
surprising patches of colour and texture; images that are particularly arresting when seen
against a grim, grey winter sky.
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| How to Mend a Barn insideview |
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| How to Mend a Barn cover |
“How to Mend a Barn” documents these images. I had first re-imagined the old barns in textile form. I made an art quilt using found and recycled
materials to honour the barn mending process. I then
photographed the quilt, and used the
series of patchwork images in the book. The text is a poem written by my husband in the voice of
one of those resourceful barn menders.
And here's the quilt:
And here's the quilt:
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