Blue is the color of a deep body of water. It is the color of distance and wonder. It is the color of life. Like water, we have the ability to create, develop and sustain life. My work is driven by a meditative exploration of the natural world as Mother. I capture the beauty of the ever-changing flow of the environment. The quick gestures become fragile poses, and the fragile poses become graceful forms present in all of life. It is the embodiment of her energy that guides us and shapes us. The body is the water and the wind is its carrier.
During my time on Toronto Island I will create an immersive installation that preserves and transforms oceanic debris found on the island. I will cast materials such as oyster shells and driftwood out of rice paper with a cellulous and ocean water mixture. Once I cast the natural forms in paper, I will coat them with salt. The use of salt is a metaphor of body as well as an act of preservation. In the installation, I will transform the individual forms into a larger whole, or body of water. They will hang from the ceiling from white thread and will fall in a wave – like form. As an artist I like the challenge of creating a space where the hand of the artist is able to coexist with the digital world. That being said, I also intend to explore and include the use of video and sound in this installation. In the process of making this work, I am remaining conscious of my environmental impact.
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Ali Deane is a studio artist with a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Kentucky. She works in mediums including photography, video, sculpture and installation. Her work focuses on themes of womanhood, identity and intimacy with nature. The process of making is a preservation and meditation of sensibilities and emotions. She is concerned with both the physical and physiological connection to Earth.