Artful Naturalism,聽a new exhibit聽at the Redpath Museum,聽brings聽together聽contemporary artworks聽and聽the permanent collections of the Redpath Museum to ask, 鈥淗ow do we order the world today聽and human beings鈥� place within it??聽聽
Featuring聽artworks聽聽from聽artists聽Gabriel聽Dharmoo and Nadia Huggins, as well as聽an installation聽conceptualized聽by Professor聽聽and聽graduate聽students from the Department of聽Anthropology,聽the exhibit聽invites us to聽reflect聽on聽and reimagine聽the boundaries between 鈥渘atural鈥� and 鈥渦nnatural鈥�,聽human and animal,聽spiritual聽and earthly.聽聽
Dawson鈥檚 Legacy: The Marriage of Science and Religion聽
Kaell, who is聽cross appointed聽in the School of Religious Studies and the Department of聽Anthropology,聽joined 成人VR视频 in 2020,聽and聽was awarded a William Dawson聽Research聽Chair. Fun fact:聽the聽award聽is named after聽Sir John William Dawson聽who was a聽noted geologist聽and聽served as聽成人VR视频聽Principal聽from聽1855-1893.聽
Kaell鈥檚聽curiosity was piqued when she learned聽that聽Dawson, who was a聽huge contributor to the field of natural sciences in Canada,聽was also a devout Presbyterian Christian, raised in what we would today call a 鈥渇undamentalist鈥� Presbyterian Church, which viewed the Bible as the literal word of God.聽聽
鈥淒awson did not see fundamentalist Christianity as somehow separate from being a cutting-edge natural scientist,鈥� says聽Kaell. 鈥淗e saw both of those things as really working in tandem, he believed that every kind of discovery that he was making geologically was helping to unearth the order that God had created.聽[For Dawson],聽better understanding God鈥檚 order helped humans better understand God and connect to God.鈥澛�
鈥淥nce I learnt this about Dawson, I thought, what better person to inspire聽me,聽than one聽who聽works at the intersection of religion and ecology!鈥� says聽Kaell.聽
Kaell聽is聽also聽the director and founder of the聽, an聽exploration聽of聽collective thinking about technology, ecology, and religion. Founded at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, the collective聽brought together a group of five scholars and two artists to reinterpret their own version of a 鈥渘ew鈥� natural history society.聽Together, they would聽discuss聽various items, such as pieces of writing, physical聽objects聽and聽even聽artworks,聽through the lens of聽interconnectedness of technology, ecology,聽religion聽and art.聽聽
These discussions聽gave way to聽the idea of mounting an exhibit聽about聽art in conversation with聽the themes of Dawson鈥檚 legacy.聽聽
鈥淭he exhibit is an opportunity to wrestle with the boundaries between religion and science,鈥� says Dr. Martin Miller, a Post-doctoral fellow in the Department of Anthropology, who worked with聽Kaell聽and graduate students on聽the art installation聽Dawson鈥檚 Desk,聽which is featured in the exhibit.聽聽
鈥淎s an anthropologist, I am聽very interested聽in how religious histories shape secular cultures and societies in often unrecognized聽ways,鈥漵ays聽Miller. 鈥淲hen we see science and religion as historically interwoven, we can also invite dialogue about the kinds of spiritual and ecological futures their relationship might lead us toward.鈥澛�
Examining Anthropology聽and Religion聽Through聽Art聽聽
碍补别濒濒听颈苍惫颈迟别诲听惭辞苍迟谤别补濒-产补蝉别诲听辫别谤蹿辞谤尘补苍肠别听补谤迟颈蝉迟听,聽PhD,聽and聽St-Vincent-based visual聽artist聽,聽both聽members聽of the聽TERA聽collective,聽to聽contribute聽their work to聽the exhibit.聽聽
鈥淕abriel and Nadia鈥檚 work really聽cross聽the boundaries between humans and other species, or between this world and other worlds,鈥� says聽Kaell. 鈥淣adia thinks a lot about the undersea world and about mythology聽[...]聽what is fleeting and part of a different world, an underwater world. Gabriel聽who聽is聽a trained composer,聽creates聽new聽linguistic forms with his voice and instrumentality, questioning聽ideas聽such as, what is聽knowledge, what is聽language?鈥澛�
The artworks in the exhibit聽are聽interspersed throughout the museum鈥檚聽floors and聽represent the聽spiritual essence of Dawson鈥檚 natural history museum;聽a keen interest in the聽natural world, and our relationship within it (spiritual or not), interpreted through artistic mediums.聽From聽a series of photographs that explore聽the underwater world of the聽Caribbean Sea, to visual portraits of fictional characters crossing the boundary of聽human聽and聽animal,聽offering a聽reinterpretation of聽the natural world聽through聽art.聽
The exhibit also includes an installation聽entitled聽Dawson鈥檚 Desk (or the Soul of Science) which was聽created by聽Kaell聽and聽a team of聽graduate聽students:,聽聽聽Sophie Ji聽(MA),聽Danika Brockman聽(PhD)聽and聽Katie Khatereh Taher聽(PhD)聽and post-doctoral fellow聽Dr. Martin Miller.聽
Located in its own room on the second floor of the museum,聽the public can聽take聽a聽seat聽at聽Dawson鈥檚聽desk.聽
鈥淲e聽describe our installation as walking into Dawson鈥檚 mind,鈥� says聽Kaell. 鈥淲e were playing around with Alex Calder鈥檚 idea of the聽鈥榤obile鈥櫬燼nd聽鈥榮tabile鈥�.聽During聽Dawson鈥檚 time, there were all these聽new ideas聽that were circulating in the world that were mobile,聽but at the same time, for Dawson and many people of his era, there was the聽stability of the聽Bible.鈥澛�
Dawson鈥檚聽Desk聽is covered with Bible verses聽鈥撀爓hich are聽the聽鈥渟tabile鈥� elements of the art piece. These聽passages聽were cited聽by Dawson聽and聽represent聽the stability聽Dawson聽would聽have聽clung to as he聽furthered聽his聽inquiries聽into the natural world.聽
The desk聽is聽surrounded by hanging glass globes, the 鈥渕obile", which聽house聽different objects聽representing聽Dawson鈥檚 writings and sketches聽and聽different elements聽of the natural world聽he would have聽collected聽through his work.聽
鈥淲e recreated Dawson's desk to encourage visitors to think about the history of the museum they were in, and to question the boundaries between religion and science,鈥� adds聽Sophie Ji, who is pursuing her MA degree in Anthropology. 鈥淭his project was an opportunity to conduct anthropology creatively, and to think about how bible pages, pressed flowers and plastic balls could help us聽represent聽tensions and conversations between religion and science.鈥澛�
Artful Naturalism will be open at the Redpath Museum from January 17 to聽February聽21, with a live performance by artist Gabriel Dharmoo on February 21.聽聽