1 CELINA JEFFERY Preternatural Preternatural Celina Jeffery In loving memory of Dr. Garth Leon Underwood, 1919-2002 Research Fellow of the Natural History Museum, London Museum of Nature St. Brigid’s Centre for the Arts Patrick Mikhail Gallery Ottawa, Canada, 2011-2012 www.preternatural.ca PRETERNATURAL © Celina Jeffery, 2011. This work is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommerical-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License. To view a copy of this license, visit: http://creativecommons.org/ licenses/by-nc-nd/3.0, or send a letter to Creative Commons, 444 Castro Street, Suite 900, Mountain View, California, 94041, USA. This work is ‘Open Access,’ which means that you are free to copy, distribute, display, and perform the work as long as you clearly attribute the work to the authors, that you do not use this work for commercial gain in any form whatsoever, and that you in no way alter, transform, or build upon the work outside of its normal use in academic scholarship without express permission of the author and the publisher of this volume. For any reuse or distribution, you must make clear to others the license terms of this work. First published in 2011 by punctum books Brooklyn, New York punctum books is an open-access and print-on-demand independent publisher dedicated to radically creative modes of intellectual inquiry and writing across a whimsical para- humanities assemblage. We specialize in neo-traditional and non-conventional scholarly work that productively twists and/or ignores academic norms. This is a space for the imp- orphans of thought and pen, an ale-serving church for little vagabonds. ISBN-13: 978-1-105-24502-2 Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available from the Library of Congress. Canadian Museum of Nature Corporate Logo and Canada Wordmark Application Guidelines Proportions Language The minimum size of the Canada wordmark For english or bilingual english first applications, is half the width of the CMN logo. use the english first logo. The maximum size of the Canada wordmark For french or bilingual french first applications, is the width of the word NATURE. use the french first logo. English first Minimum size Maximum size French first Colours The corporate colours are black and PMS 348 (green). The CMYK conversion of PMS 348 is 100 | 25 | 100 | 10. This catalogue is published THE MUSEUM by punctum books on the occasion of the exhibition, Preternatural, OF NATURE: (produced and presented by) December 9th, 2011 to 9th Dec., 2011 to 12th Feb., 2012 February 17th, 2012, Marie-Jeanne Musiol, Mariele Ottawa, Canada Neudecker, Anne Katrine Senstad, www.preternatural.ca Positioning Sarah Walko and Andrew Wright The corporate logo must appear to the right of the Canada wordmark and together, should be positioned at the bottom of the page. In some instances where the corporate logo needs to be positioned at the top of a page, the Canada wordmark can appear below it. ST. BRIGID’S CENTRE FOR THE ARTS: Adrian Göllner, 10th-17th Dec., 2011 Avantika Bawa, 7th-19th Jan., 2012 Anne Katrine Senstad, 29th Jan. — © Canadian Museum of Nature, July 18, 2006 17th Feb. 2012 PATRICK MIKHAIL GALLERY: Shin Il Kim, 4th Jan. — 7th Feb., 2012 Catalogue Design by Clare Brennan Front Cover & Figure 20: Still from The Sugarcane Labyrinth, A short film about the Agricultural Land Art piece by Anne Katrine Senstad - In collaboration with Triple K and M Farms, Theriot, Louisiana, 2011 © Anne Katrine Senstad Image Credits: All images reproduced courtesy of the artists and their galleries. Figure 22, Andrew Wright, Nox Borealis (Detail), 2011 TABLE OF 6 Acknowledgements CONTENTS 7 Foreword, Celina Jeffery 8 Beyond Nature, Celina Jeffery 25 Wilderness Ontology, Levi R. Bryant ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS I am indebted to the artists and venues This exhibition and catalogue were University of Ottawa, to which I am made possible by the efforts of extremely grateful. I would also like for their participation many people. I am indebted to the to thank Levi R. Bryant for his excep- artists and venues for their partici- tionally enthusiastic participation and enthusiastic pation and enthusiastic support of in the catalogue. For their creative the show. In particular, I would like input in designing the catalogue, I support of the show. to thank Patrick McDonald and would like to thank Clare Brennan Emily Bergsma at St. Brigid’s Centre and Patrick Mikhail. The artists would like to thank the for the Arts; Patrick Mikhail at the following galleries, institutions and Patrick Mikhail Gallery; and Carol The following people have also individuals for their support: Marie- Campbell and Daniel Boivin at the contributed significantly to the Jeanne Musiol — Pierre-François Canadian Museum of Nature. The development of the exhibition Ouellette art contemporain, Mon- Museum of Nature exhibition would and catalogue for which I am most tréal; Andrew Wright — The Canada appreciative: Penny Cousineau- not have been complete without the Council for the Arts, The Ontario Levine; Zarina Mail; Britta Evans careful consideration and creative Arts Council and Christopher Solar; Fenton; Megan Toye; and Tiffany Tse input of Daniel Boivin. I’d also like Adrian Göllner would like to thank amongst others at the University of to give special thanks to Monty Andrew Wright (photo credit), the Ottawa. In particular, I’d like to thank City of Ottawa, and the Ontario Arts Reid who helped initiate the project Natasha Chaykowski for her position at the Museum of Nature. I am as curatorial assistant throughout Council; Avantika Bawa — Saltworks extremely grateful to the Evergreen the research and production of this Gallery (Atlanta, Georgia), Gallery Foundation for their support of exhibition — her efforts have made Maskara (Mumbai, India), and the show at the Canadian Museum this exhibition possible. I am grateful Washington State University, Van- of Nature. I would like to express to Jeffrey Keshan at the Experiential couver, WA; Shin Il Kim — Gallery gratitude to Her Excellency Else Learning Service and Alastair Mullin Simon (Seoul, Korea) and Riccardo Berit Eikeland, Ambassador of Nor- at the University of Ottawa for their Crespi Gallery (Milan, Italy); Mari- way, and the US Embassy for their advice and support in the initial ele Neudecker — Galerie Barbara development of the project. I am generous support of Anne Katrine Thumm; Anne Katrine Senstad — indebted to the assistance of Nancy Senstad and Sarah Walko, respec- The Royal Norwegian Embassy in Webb and Jaenine Parkinson who tively. I am indebted to The Canada Ottawa, Manuel Sander, Benny assisted in the publicity and market- Council for the Arts for their support Mouthon, CAS, The Norwegian Visual ing for the show. I would also like to of the exhibition. thank Galerie Barbara Thumm, Berlin Artists Remuneration Fund / Billed- for their assistance. Finally, I would kunstnernes Vederlagsfond, and The The catalogue has been made pos- also like to thank Gregory Minissale Royal Norwegian Consulate General sible by the support of Eileen Joy, for his consistent encouragement Houston; and finally, Sarah Walko Nicola Masciandaro, Dan Mellamphy, and my collaborators at Drain Maga- would like to thank collaborators and Simon O’Sullivan at punctum zine: A Journal of Contemporary Art Cindy Hartness-Crane, Anna Drastik, books and the Faculty of Arts at the and Culture. and Magali Poirier-McDowell. 1 FOREWORD CELINA JEFFERY The concept of preternature is more of apparitions, and synaesthetic in which spectral images reveal than nature as science, or nature effects1. In Adrian Göllner’s site- microcosmic concerns through as art — it exceeds the boundaries specific installation, puffs of white tiny particles of light that emanate of these classificatory systems and smoke appear and then dissipate in through the darkness. Sarah Walko’s opens up a space where the species time with Handel’s Messiah from the (USA) It is least what one ever sees of things conjure wonder and curios- ornate vaulted ceiling, gesturing at is a highly intricate installation that ity, as well as fear of the unknow- an ethereal presence. Avantika Bawa comprises many hundreds if not able. This exhibition calls for a seeks to subvert, tease and create thousands of tiny, disparate sculp- rigorous exploration of the habitual a play of artifice in an otherwise tural and live objects that seek to ways by which nature is known to us, unique and extraordinary place with exist outside of ‘natural’ logic. In a questioning that unfolds the limits her interventions that involve the The Sugarcane Labyrinth, a video by of the sub-sensible imagination. placement of yellow plastic wrap- Anne Katrine Senstad (Norway), we How does the preternatural allow us ping along the pews, a yellow ramp encounter the making of a labyrinth to read the unwieldly connections on the altar, and the playing of the on a farm in Theriot, Louisiana, USA between, in, and through contem- musical key of ‘e’ from a ‘boom which engages with local farming porary art and nature? box.’ Anne Katrine Senstad further strategies in an act of sustainability, investigates the tradition of mysti- recovery, and rejuvenation. Lastly, Preternatural draws from the idea cal melody with The Kinesthesia Shin Il Kim’s (Korea/USA) work at the that art itself is a form of preter- of Saint Brigid, a video projection Patrick Mikhail Gallery bridges the natural pursuit, in which the artists which frames the organ at the rear spectral inquiry at St. Brigid’s and participating explore the bewilder- of the church. the subversions of the natural world ing condition of being in between at the Museum of Nature exhibit. the mundane and the marvellous There is both reverence and mystery in nature. It questions a world that in Mariele Neudecker’s (UK/Germa- This exhibition retains the preternat- understands itself as accessible, ny) works which capture, invert, and ural’s engagement with prodigies: reachable, and ‘knowable’ and re-make nature.