Walking at 6000’: Curatorial Statement
Early in discussions with artist Lisa Figueroa and trail expert Phil McIntyre-Paul, the curatorial team at the Art Gallery saw the similarities between their two approaches and decided to bring them together in Walking at 6000’. With each artist offering their individual trail-walking interpretations and expressions, visitors to the gallery can navigate Lisa’s pathways through the alpine and sub-alpine trails with Phil’s footsteps and voice leading the way, or one can walk these paths in quiet solitude.
The title of the exhibition, Walking at 6000’, was not intended to imply specific elevations to the viewing public, but instead to give the sense of getting away from the valley noise and distractions, and truly rise above it all to form a new connection to the land. Lisa transports the viewer to these places, and shares with us the complexities of the ecosystems she encounters. All of nature, visible and invisible, is intertwined in her vivid paintings, with barely a moment to take a breath as the viewer’s eye travels endlessly through her brushstrokes. The stories Lisa tells with her art form weaves a familial history, personal triumphs, humble admiration and respect for the land, and a sense of passion as brilliant as the hot pinks and fiery reds in the painted forms.
In 2016, Tracey and Phil participated in Trail Mix, an exploration of Shuswap trails through art, photography and story. Phil brought the team, which included photographer Ben McIntyre-Paul, trail guide Gord Bushell, and artist assistant Eric Kutschker, to the top of the Owlhead Pass. The team snowmobiled then snowshoed their way to Cache Cabin. As they broke the snowy trails and documented the experience, Phil occasionally paused to reflect on the terrain, offer a historical reference, or read a poem aloud. These words and stories spoken at the top of a quiet pass, interspersed with the breathing of the team’s efforts and crunching of the snow beneath, altered the experience. It was more than walking to a destination in order for Tracey to sketch out her Trail Mix artwork, it was collaborative art-making with sound, sight, texture and action.
It was with this experience in mind that Tracey invited Phil to record his walks. From Phil’s perspective, he would not want his words to interrupt the quiet rhythm of walking in these exceptional areas. However, Tracey’s appreciation of the world at the top of the Owlhead was greatly enhanced by the poems and observations that Phil shared along the way. Phil agreed to the task, and began a new technologically-challenging journey into the world of audio art. He was keen to be partnered with Lisa in this exhibition, as he has long admired her vibrant interpretation of the natural world. Together, they present walking as a form of art, and share their experiences of the fragile environment.
Walking at 6000’ was co-curated by Tracey Kutschker and Kate Fagervik, and runs April 10-June 19, 2021.