A Ride To St. John’s, Please?
Helen Gregory's Blue Tanagers courtesy of the artist and the Rooms
I discovered Helen Gregory in the National Post on Thursday and I haven’t stopped thinking of her since. She has a show in Newfoundland (where she’s from) at the Rooms called Unrequited Death: Helen Gregory and it is curated by award-winning novelist Lisa Moore.
Helen has a fascination with collecting things (be still my heart). What she collects is organic detritus – bird’s nests, eggs, skeleton’s, dead flowers, rocks, and the like. What is dead and repulsive, is at the same time, exuisite.
Apart from the image above, Helen uses lush Victorian designs as back drops for her still lifes. Think natural history, William Morris, Darwin, Victorian museums and Dutch Still Lifes (be still my heart, again.)
Aside from looking at her own collection, she was able to study the collections from natural history museums – at the Rooms in St. John’s, the Redpath Museum in Montreal, and the Canadian Museum of Nature near Ottawa.
You can find a really great video of Helen’s process on You Tube. I’ve already watched it about 20 times. The exhibition continues until May 16.
You can read the Q & A in the National Post here. I think this is a condensed version. And P.S. Leah Sandals who wrote the article has a pretty cool blog.
February 21st, 2010 12:29
Hey, I have three nests (you were there when I got one!), pieces of robin’s eggs, stones and pebbles, shells, seed pods, a gorgeous shrub skeleton, etc. No animal skeletons as of yet, however. I’m unsure about that still (though I used to love collecting crayfish claws!)…
The above photo is beautiful but I don’t like it for some reason. Even though I have taken pictures of dead things, like that pigeon in Rievaulx Abbey in Yorkshire, and those moles hanging on barbed wire…
February 21st, 2010 12:30
PS. You need to visit the museum of natural history in Ottawa!
February 21st, 2010 12:51
I know! One weekend. The train is so expensive, though. I also missed the natural history museum in London, UK.
February 22nd, 2010 09:33
Actually, I read that if you buy a ticket by today, it’s only $49 from TO to Ottawa! The ticket doesn’t have to be for today, of course, just that the deal ends today. However, that’s probably only one way. But that’s $20 off!
February 23rd, 2010 14:12
Yes! Hand over the nests (and whatever else you have. Nature is a little scarce for me living where I do).
Interesting – what don’t you like about it?
February 23rd, 2010 14:14
Damn it! I guess I missed the discount.