At the waters edge, lines of light rise up and sway with the breeze. The light is created by the reflection of the surface of the water and the sky. Small reflective discs hang from strong black nylon netting cut into strips about 6 inches wide and rising up vertically up to 12 feet. One end of these is attached to branches of trees that overhang the lake and the other hangs in the water. The lines sway and undulate in the wind and the discs shimmer in response to the breezes. As the color of the sky and water changes, so does the color of the light lines.
What struck me when I visited the Tree Museum was the untamed natural world. I wanted to create a work with a light touch that is like a musical counterpoint to the rich chorus of the natural world. Light Lines introduces the straight line, a mark quintessentially human, but does so in a way that is both sensitive and responsive to the surroundings. It is a work entirely interdependent with its surroundings in a state of continual animation and change much like the natural environment.
Catherine Widgery
American born artist Catherine Widgery graduated from Yale University cum laude, with special distinction in art and the Walker prize for outstanding artistic achievement. She lived in Italy and England before returning to North America where she currently divides her time between Montreal, Cambridge and Antigua, Guatemala. She has built more than 30 site-specific public art projects across Canada and the United States. In addition to numerous solo and group exhibitions in galleries and museums, her award winning projects have been featured on the covers of Sculpture, Landscape Architecture, Espace and World Sculpture News magazines. She works with communities and teams to create environmental sculptural experiences that respond to the unique spirit and shape of a place. The use of wind, light and water communicate energy and animate the space within her environmental works. Her experience of other cultures, including the recent three month fellowship in India, has been a source of inspiration for unconventional approaches to art making.