"Calculus of an infinite rot, part 1": installation by Andrea Shin Ling; fabrication by Leah Ataide & Nicholas Hoban; photo by Henry Chan; papers on the ground by claude wittmann. Rhubarb Festival 2022, February 7, 2022.
the installation stages carefully carved decaying tree stumps which had been seeded with species of bacteria and fungi during Fall 2021. Andrea, with the help of staff at Rhubarb bio-controlled the growth of these organisms while witnessing agency from native species which started to grow on the stumps as well. when commenting on the installation, Andrea spoke about her interest in how regeneration from decay.
i am sitting in the room adjacent to the installation room, speaking on a phone zoom conversation with collaborator Serena McCarroll. we address our human decay after our recent housing crises and the insights in there. i am personally and politically grateful that, by inviting us, Rhubarb's artistic director, Clayton Lee, together with Rhubarb's staff, have chosen to see our artists' basic needs for survival as art. this is not obvious. in parallel, i wonder about the privilege that one must generally live in or with to be an active artist in Toronto.
Serena is speaking on zoom with me.
guests are listening to our conversation and reading the papers on the ground.
all photos are by Henry Chan.