On view until July 12th
Leaves tend to be in the background of daily human life, and unless you are a tree, your life generally doesn’t depend on them. This collection presents leaves of Ontario trees in diverse and unexpected ways to reveal some of their superpowers and vulnerabilities. Each felted leaf is based on a real leaf, supersized and reimagined in colours and textures as it might appear in 2050, having internalized generations of environmental upheaval and climate change. They invite the viewer to consider their own well-being in the future and what actions might impact leaves as well as humans.
The pawpaw leaf hangs by a thread. The pawpaw’s range, decimated by human land use practices, is now being consciously expanded. Its fall hopefully halted. The basswood leaf on the ground will provide nutrients as it deteriorates. Imagine a slow release of goodness to the soil. No raking and bagging necessary. The vessel is a distorted redbud leaf presented upside down, such a popular garden tree but losing ground in the real world. The last leaf is a cyanotype on a paper and wool integration with embroidery of marsh map symbols and bird tracks – a reminder of the importance of wetlands and the determination of developers to drain them.
Sheila Thompson is a Guelph-based fibre artist and woman in science whose long-running practice focuses on social justice, and ecological awareness. Sheila situates much of her work in the year 2050, creating sculptural wet-felted vessels, futuristic leaves and aerial topographies that warn about human impact on future landscapes and habitats. She uses colour, map symbols, embroidery, lichen imagery and scale to draw attention to the vulnerability of “unseen” lifeforms. She is a published author, exhibition collaborator, and active member of Connections Fibre Artists, International Feltmakers Association, and several ecoart/science organizations. She endeavours to maintain an ecofriendly art practice by reinventing artworks, using sustainable materials and avoiding purchasing plastics.
Instagram: sheilathompson.art
Website: www.sheilathompson.studio