Pop Goes the Forest is a series of textile sculptures—loud, macro interpretations of lichens, fungi, and bark of the region.
The work is made of nylon paracord and Ottertex outdoor fabric with bright, popping colours in sharp contrast to the natural hues of the forest.
This installation was originally commissioned by THEOP (The Deep River Theatre Operating Committee) and installed in the trees along the Lamure Beach path in Deep River, Ontario from August 2021-May 2022.
Susan Kendal
Susan Kendal is an artist newly-based in Deep River, Ontario as of 2020, on the unceded territory of the Anishinabewaki and Omàmìwininìwag (Algonquin), Williams and Robinson- Huron (Treaty 61) territory. She spent 15 years as a contemporary dance artist in Toronto working as a choreographer, dancer and costume designer. She also taught in the Young Dancers Program at The School of Toronto Dance Theatre for 13 years, and worked at The Dance Current magazine for 10 years in various capacities including writer and managing editor. Slowly but surely, Susan’s love of stitching and Craft crept to the forefront of her creative practice, and she now primarily works as a textile artist. Her work is featured in the book Strange Material: Storytelling Through Textiles by Leanne Prain. She recently spent eight years living in Barrie, Ontario where she developed her handwork skills, made textile art, and taught art and stitching to women in transitional housing with funding from the Ontario Arts Council’s Artists in Communities Project Grant. Susan spent the fall of 2021 at the Icelandic Textile Centre’s Ós Residency where she focused on natural dyeing and traditional rug hooking. There are two boys of 10 and 14 who make Susan a mom, which is surely a creative-inventive-improvisational journey in itself!
Thank you to our sponsors!"Pop Goes the Forest" was sponsored by:
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