Public Artwork
Scenic View
Location:
Visual Arts Centre of Clarington, 143 Simpson Avenue, Bowmanville, ON, Canada
See map: Google Maps
Artwork creator(s):
O’Callaghan, Anne
Text author(s):
Coleman, Victor
Installation year:
2001
Remarks on location:
Soper Creek Park (land on which the VAC is located and which is used to exhibit outdoor artworks)
Description:
Installation of four display cases which featuring text and image
Text of the artwork:
Text by Anne O’Callaghan
AMERICAN BEECH – FAGUS GRANDIFOLIA
AMERICAN HORNBEAM – CARPINUS CAROLINIANA
BLACK SPRUCE – PICEA MARIANA
BLACK ASH – NIGRA MARSH
CHALK MAPLE – ACER LENCODERME
EASTERN HEMLOCK – TSUGA CANADENSIS
EASTERN WHITE – CEDAR – THUJA ACCIDEMTALIS
ENGLISH OAK – QUERCUS ROBUR
GRAY OAK – QUERCUS RUBRA
HAZEL ALDER – ALNUS SERRULATA
JUNIPER – JUNIPERUS COMMUNIS
NORWAY MAPLE – ACER PLATANOIDES
PAPER BIRCH – BETULA PAPYRIFERA
RED MAPLE – ACER RUBRUM
RED SPRUCE – PICEA RUBENS
SILVER MAPLE – ACER SACCHARINUM
SLIPPERY ELM – ULMUS RUBRA
SMOOTH SUMAC – RHUS GLABRA
STAGHORN SUMAC – RHUS TYPHINA
STRIPED MAPLE – ACER PENSYVANICUM
TREMBLING ASPEN – POPULOUS TREMULOIDES
WHITE ASH – FRAXINUS AMERICANA
WHITE OAK – QUERCUS ALBA
WHITE PINE – PINUS STROBUS
YELLOW BIRCH – BETULA ALLEGANIENSIS
---
THE ROAD OF THE
PAST AND FUTURE
POINTS PLACES IN
THE IMAGINATION
---
Text by Victor Coleman:
The son is a continuation of a line
unbroken since the fall of man
stretching out over the perceived horizon
to mark the integument
that lies on both sides of the littoral
where the bones of amphibious corpses
pile up resemblances along the beaches
unworldly cacophony of ghosts in the landscape
passing through trees as small animals bent
on their own destruction
Sometime tadpole . sometime toad
shape-changers licking their entrails
& recalling the long climb out
of boxes with popped locks
as the ebb tide sucks sand from under rocks
the size of the animal
which has nothing to do with its place in the order
it glides through the classifications
that separate it from all others
the small animals speeds
bored to death with species
shedding its skin to shape new life
dead cells in the swamp of the instant
Text theme:
Endangered or extinct species of trees (text by O'Callaghan); death of species (text by Coleman)
Artwork theme:
The disappearance of species of trees, loss, memory, history
History:
- The work was exhibited as part of the public art program "Art on Public Lands Project" in Soper Creek Park, organized by the Visual Arts Center of Clarington.
- The audio component of Scenic View was recorded on an HHB MDP500 mini-disk recorder, edited on a SAFDiE workstation with noise reduction through a CEDAR DNS1000 unit.
- The male narrative voice on the soundtrack is poet Victor Coleman.
- O'Callaghan's text juxtaposes familiar English words for endangered or extinct trees with their Latin names. Example: "Norway Maple - Acer platanoides".
- William Norman, his technician, worked to create the soundtrack accompanying the installation. Scenic View biography in 2001 to 2002: Anne O'Callaghan (Rodgers 2002).
- The work is being reconfigured. (Exchange with the artist).
- Because it was conceived in-situ, this work has no history beyond its exhibition at the VAC.
Dimensions:
Height:
0.71m
Width:
0.5m
Depth:
0.5 m Note(s):
Terrific at Both Ends, in Coleman, Victor, Corrections: rewriting six of my first nine books, Toronto : Coach House Press, 1985, 247 p.
Artist's biography:
Anne O’Callaghan Document(s):
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