Ingrid Koivukangas
Environmental
Artist
Responding to sites around the world through works created in site specific installation, intervention, ephemeral sculpture, video, sound, web, permanent site-specific sculpture, photography, printmaking,painting & drawing.
Welcoming opportunities to work in different geographic regions &
locations in the world, creating site-specific works in response to the
land.
Reflecting
Circle
Nickle
Arts Museum, Calgary, AB
August 2002
Reflecting Circle was created specifically for the Link exhibition at
the Nickle Arts Museum, taking into account the name of the exhibition
as well as the sites involved. The circle archetype is found world-wide
and represents the cycle of life, of wholeness. The earth, moon and sun
are circles, the seasons circle into each other and we are all connected
to the circle of life.
The stone circle on the floor is made of 45 stones gathered near a sacred
site along the Belly River in Southern Alberta. The stones reflect the
colour of the land found along the river, and for that matter, southern
Alberta. Some of them seem to have drawings on them while others could
almost be impressions of footprints. While gathering the stones I was
thinking about how we are all connected to the land, to the earth, and
how each stone represents millions of years of land memories.
Reflected on the wall is a circle made of natural materials gathered at
the Aspen Grove, a site found on the University of Calgary campus. It
reflects the stone circle in size and number of elements - there are 45
vials of water holding natural materials gathered from the site.
The two circles speak of the interconnectivity of all life - natural materials
will eventually decompose and build up and over millennia become stone.
Stone will eventually break down to become soil needed to grow plants.
All follow the great circle.
This piece also speaks of my personal journey as an artist, of coming
full circle. Viewers were encouraged to leave the
Nickle Arts Museum to visit the Aspen Grove site on 24th Avenue.
