BFA Undergraduate intermedia work from the University of Alberta

Threads

These works explore profound themes of constraint, control, and boundaries that influence growth and life, both within the natural world and the intricate workings of the human physique. Through a careful examination of these forces, the pieces reveal how limitation and regulation shape existence and transformation across all living forms.

Untold

This piece thoughtfully considers how constraints, both natural and man-made, profoundly affect environments and humans alike. It delves into the concept of control and examines how such influences are remembered and embedded within the cellular structures of living organisms. Through this exploration, the work reveals the intricate relationship between imposed limitations and the subtle responses of life itself.

Dualities

Braille pages from a children’s book are meticulously laid out in a structured grid, interspersed with subtly sketched images of hands captured in simple open and closed gestures. These symbolic elements represent the intricate systems established to shape our sensitivity and nurture our relationships with the world surrounding us. A projected animation of the sketched hand plays on a continuous loop, casting its ethereal light over a tree branch resting on a rectangular piece of board scattered with braille pages, evoking a sense of intentional disorder. A delicate cluster of gold thread extends gracefully from a grasping hand to the finer twigs of the branch, wrapping tenderly down and around its length, which is richly adorned with gold leaf. These connective threads carefully and elegantly hold the piece together, creating a striking bridge that harmonizes the dynamic tension between chaos and order.

Nurtured Rythms

A simple white plinth sits quietly in an austere room, dimly and darkly lit to accentuate its solemn presence. The moving image displayed atop the box feels almost unnatural, not projected from above as one might expect, but instead emanating from an indeterminate source that stirs curiosity. It depicts what appears to be an intimate moment between a younger and an older person, engaged in an unfamiliar and delicate activity that gently draws the viewer’s attention. The older hands carefully wrap fine gold thread around fragmented pottery, handing the precious pieces over to the younger hands, who then place the meticulously wrapped shards onto the surface below with reverence. The scene unfolds like a game, yet carries the weight of a craft — almost ritualistic in nature. Soft domestic sounds of a distant home—dishes clinking as they are washed, children’s play echoing faintly—permeate the background, barely audible but grounding the piece in a lived, tactile reality.

What Her Hands Have Made

In this eight and a half minute looping video a woman’s fingers work with a silver needle drawing a black thread through a white cotton fabric. Sewing cloths for family, mending and textile work in general are activities most often associated with women. This video celebrates that work and the resourcefulness and creativity of countless women who have the gift of making something out of nothing. It is not clear as to what the purpose of the sewing is, nor is it clear as to what exactly is being created. The stitches in this case are not functional. The item being sewn is secondary to the effects of the thread on the fabric. As the thread is pulled the fabric gently rolled and reacts to the thread, the light shifts. Where does the value of her efforts lie? In this case is not necessarily in what is produced, but more so the experience of the action.