Belle Park invited six artists to creatively examine the history and narratives of the park.
The artists spoke about the creative research methodologies involved in creating the Belle Park curation Unearthed: A Walk in the Park with a Twist. The exhibit aims to creatively examine the park’s long-lasting past as a dump and golf course prior to its present state as a park.
Curated by Professors Erin Sutherland, Dorit Naaman, and Laura Marray, the exhibit ran from Aug. 26 to 30 showcasing music with an emphasis on Indigeneity, the microbiology of ecosystems, queer identities, industrial geosynthetic fabrics, and park songs. The exhibit featured works from five students from the cultural studies department.
Evalyn Parry, MA ’23, used narratives from the park’s animals, plants, and air for songwriting inspiration.
“I’m writing from the perspective of some of the trees, the hybrid poplar trees that are there for soil remediation or writing from the perspective of the beavers in the Cataraqui river,” Parry said in an interview with The Journal.
Parry wrote the characters in their songs to show the history of the park’s current inhabitants. They also sought to push against colonial narratives by focusing on the history of the park, which was previously a landfill and a golf course. These disruptions are important to Parry’s research as they said it shows shifts in Canadian culture.
Parry’s songs for the exhibit are partly personal reflections, based on research in the field of arts leadership. They also refer to research-creation in their work, which seeks to blend academic research with creative intuition to produce new artwork.
“Looking into the ways methods outside academic research expand the boundaries [of art], I’m interested in research-creation as a decolonizing methodology that’s looking to apply social change both inside the academy, and applying the research to the world,” Parry said.
“It’s the idea that people who are creatives because of their way of sensing the world can sense what’s coming or are on the cutting edge.”
Graduate school “broke” Parry’s brain as they tried to wrap their head around theory taught in class. The movement of Parry’s body through walks encouraged them to make up songs to connect them to their sense of space.
“Connecting my body and my mind I feel like the art I make is a conversation. It’s not just coming from the head,” Parry said.
Parry takes a playful approach to the research, looking for ways to loosen up heavy and complex ideas. Parry said there’s something lovely about the messiness of the Belle Park Project, and they hope audiences think about the things they experience there.
Tags
art exhibit, belle park, Cultural Studies
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