Ingrid Koivukangas
Environmental
Artist
• Site-Specific
Ephemeral & Permanent Sculpture
• Interventions
• Installation:
Permanent & Temporary
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.
Working with architectural
teams as an environmental
land artist & designer
bringing together the
building, viewer &
site, while respecting the
history of the site,
- both human & natural -
through permanent
installation and sculpture,
based in the land, while integrating
& honouring the
architect's vision &
design of the building.
Welcoming
opportunities
to work in different
geographic regions
& locations
in the world, creating
site-specific works in
response to the land.
As well as creating
new works in response to
existing buildings & sites,
for grand openings &
special exhibitions.
River
Project:The
Bow
Environmental Design Gallery,
University of Calgary, November 2002
River
Project: The Bow is a site-specific installation based on a site along
the south side of the Bow River, to the west of Stoney Trail Bridge, in
Calgary, Alberta.
The work began in the late summer of 2002 and will be completed, at the
earliest, in the summer of 2003 with the planting of Douglas Fir and White
Spruce seedlings by viewers who took a seedling home with them at the
end of the gallery show as well as elementary school children invited
to take care of a seedling.
The initial work began with the collecting of a few seed cones - Douglas
Fir and White Spruce - while hiking along the Bow River at the end of
August 2002. These cones were then dried out in the studio and the seeds
placed into stratification - wintering - in the refrigerator for six weeks.
Towards the end of October the seeds were slowly brought to room temperature
to ready them for germination and planting. The bottoms of the small ‘greenhouses’
hold stones collected along the bank of the Bow River as well as river
water to provide condensation for the seedlings without drowning them.
The
seeds are held in peat pellets within peat pots that will allow for easy
planting of the seedlings. Viable seeds germinated 7 to 10 days after
planting. From the seeds collected approximately 80 seeds germinated,
there is no guarantee how many of these will survive long enough to be
planted outdoors.
While researching this project it was discovered that one single cone
can hold up to 50 seeds and viable seeds come from trees that are 20+
years old, with seed crops occuring every seven years. Collected seeds
should be planted within 100 miles of their collection site as there are
slight genetic modifications from area to area.
Traditionally
Douglas Fir and White Spruce trees have been used to make medicine, glue,
canoe frames, paddles, snowshoes and root baskets. Today we primarily
use them to make lumber.
The planting aspect of this installation speaks of our deep rooted connection
to the land and is a small gesture of honouring the site and the trees
themselves, while encouraging viewers to actively participate in the show
by watering the seedlings with the spray bottles provided and to then
take a seedling home to then plant themselves.
See also: River Project: The Bow - Topographic Line for the second part of this installation work.
