Necessary Tension, 2023, commercially tanned deer hide, found faux leather, stroud cloth, thread, Czech seed beads, antique Russian beads, imitation and natural sinew, poplar and cotton fabric
Photo by Jake Kimble, 2023, Ceremonial/Art
Necessary Tension, detail
Photo by Jake Kimble, 2023, Ceremonial/Art
Necessary Tension, 2023
Photo by Jake Kimble, 2023, Ceremonial/Art
Necessary Tension, 2023
Photo by Jake Kimble, 2023, Ceremonial/Art
Necessary Tension, 2023
Photo by Jake Kimble, 2023, Ceremonial/Art
Haley Bassett’s Snare is an abstract, three-dimensional drawing created from blackberry canes and steel wire. The strength, lightness and flexibility of this natural material allows Bassett to build in any direction, filling the white cube of the Garage with three-dimensional lines and shapes. From a distance, the blackberry creates a composition of brilliant red, sweeping marks in space. However, closer inspection reveals the thorny and sinister aspect of these materials.
Snare continues Bassett’s investigation into the nature of trauma; she has chosen to use blackberry because of its aggressive and invasive nature. Much in the way blackberry invades vulnerable ecosystems, trauma has the ability to disrupt our life course. Snare transforms the garage space itself into a tumultuous inner landscape filled with wave-like formations of blackberry and their accompanying shadows.
Blackberry cane and steel wire, 2020, Burrard Art Foundation, Vancouver, BC
