Mapping out calm (2022)
Mapping Out Calm
Lake water, cotton paper pulp, recycled paper, pigment
4 ft x 6 ft (121 cm x 183 cm)
Mapping Out Calm is a large-scale paper mural that explores materiality and the impermanence of life through water. Each paper tile is hand-stitched together to form one large map of the lake's evolution and resilience, while meditating on our shared experience of transition and renewal.
The mural is inspired by daily walks to the water's edge, which are a source of comfort and a reminder of the constant change of the lake and the shoreline. The rippling lines in the mural resemble the waves of the water, but it also traces the historical expansion and erosion of the lake's body. Based on archival drawings, the pattern reveals evidence of the rescinding lake body over the course of 150+ years, thanks to the expansion of our shoreline. As climate change is drastically threatening and changing our environment, will the lake body take back what it has lost?
Water is not only a visual element, but also a material component of the papermaking process. Unfiltered lake water was used to make each paper sheet, incorporating organic matter and sediment that will affect the paper's colour, texture and longevity over time. Water follows the same life cycle as other organisms, and the artwork will follow the same path of impermanence. Mapping Out Calm reflects a bird's eye view of the city's harbour, as well as the energy and calmness of the water, and its part in our life’s impermanence.
The work was on view at Harbourfront Centre, April 2, 2022 to July 2, 2022
