DEAD ROADS MAKE NICE MEADOWS

Signal Fire presents an exhibition of the 2010 artists-in-residence.

In the heat of this past August, eight artists were relocated to the cool shade of old growth trees in Mt. Hood National Forest. As a continuation of the Signal Fire Outpost residency, 2010 proved to be another year of discovering the potential for creative practices in the wild. In the month of November, we will exhibit work from each of the eight artists, as well as debut an ongoing print project, Leaf Litter, to highlight writers, poets and thinkers exploring the overlap of arts and action on behalf of the natural world.

The show will present the works of Katherine Ball, Laura Gibson, Ellie Irons, Sarah Meadows, Robyn Moore, Tara Jane Oneil, Julie Perini and Scott Schuldt. Laura Gibson and Tara Jane Oneil will give a live performance at 8pm. Although Signal Fire does not place an expectation of production on our artists, much of the work has origins from the time spent in the forest during the residency. Ball's enduring cut paper wall installation was completed through hours bent over a plywood work bench. Meadows' and Moore's stirring photographs were captured walking through a prehistoric landscape, one with an armful of cameras to choose from and the latter scaled down to the thoughtful exposure of a Holga. Irons has mapped the genetic evolution of our local species, while Schuldt has composed a map of his tent location based on the scale of his own stride. The exhibition debuts new films by Perini, including a collaboration between she and Oneil.

The artists lived in 12x12 ft. wall tents, and were provided with food, a bed, work bench and power supply. Set up just outside of the newly designated Clackamas Wilderness along an old decommissioned road, the artists filled their days with unstructured exploration of the forests surrounding them and quiet work space apart from each other. The road, now reclaimed by a meadow of invasive oxeye daisies, served as a daily meeting for group dinners served by Signal Fire organizers.