Mass Wasting: May 7 - June 21, 2020

May 7 - June 21, 2020
Reception: Thursday, May 7, 2020 from 6-9pm
Craft Ontario Gallery, 1106 Queen Street West, Toronto

Responding to the current era of rapid and accelerating change to the landscape, ‘Mass Wasting’ explores the impact(s) of environmental destabilization through the lens of craft practice.

Through both direct and indirect human intervention, the form of the Earth is changing. Extractive mining practices and deforestation have immediate and obvious effects, while warming temperatures are causing unprecedented thawing of permafrost. The term ‘mass wasting’ refers to the geomorphic process by which rocks and soil move downhill (eg. rock slides, soil creep and thaw slumps). ‘Mass wasting’ is both cause and effect: the means by which we have arrived on this increasingly unstable ground.

This exhibition aims to address the psychic, social, cultural, and political impact of environmental unpredictability as identified by artists working in diverse craft media. It also considers the ways in which instability can open up fissures of possibility — opportunities for change and innovation.

Craft Ontario exhibitions are supported by the Ontario Arts Council and Toronto Arts Council.

Image credit: “Scar of permafrost disturbances” by UBC Micrometeorology, photo by A. Cassidy is licensed under CC BY 2.0.