05.06.2000 | 06.18.2000
DELUGE | PETER VON TIESENHAUSEN

Alberta artist Peter Von Tiesenhausen’s site-specific installation was a result of a two-week long residency at the SAAG. The artist’s practice involves the reconfiguration of natural elements, and his materials have included willow, aspen, and pine trees, pond ice, and fire. In this exhibition, a collection of tree branches hanging from the ceiling in what seems to be a random pattern creates an image of a large boat and floating crosses when viewed at a certain fixed point. This illusionary, mystical work was accompanied by a series of prints based on the cross sections of trees and a bronze sculpture cast from a natural piece of wood. The burning of a cairn made from reed shale and coal, which Von Tiesenhausen constructed at a local farmstead, worked as a dramatic companion piece to the installation. Von Tiesenhausen presented a lecture on his work at the gallery.

Curated by Joan Stebbins