The Art of Oika: Nantucket
An Oika Exhibition at Maria Mitchell Association
[click here for map]
[click here for full exhibition info]
Field Marks
Rita Leduc, 2023
33 Washington
Maria Mitchell Aquarium
Vestal St. Observatory
Loines Observatory
About Leduc’s Field Marks:
We move through life riding waves of transitions. Infinitely scalable and existing across dimensions, they overlap and intertwine: sidewalk/park, Spring/Summer, literal/imaginal, subjective/objective. Part of my creative practice is to acquaint myself with such transitions. This requires zooming in, interrogating constructed boundaries until they break character and dissolve. As I acquaint, I participate. In doing so, I, too, become porous: dexterous and continuous.
Although I am interested in transitions in all dimensions, my practice most often uses engagement with the physical environment to access ecological intelligence - aka Oika - that I then apply elsewhere. Thus, the four Field Marks for The Art of Oika: Nantucket are installed at physical, outdoor locations within the campus of Maria Mitchell Association: 33 Washington St., the Maria Mitchell Aquarium, Maria Mitchell’s original home, and Loines Observatory.
To make the Field Marks, I first collected “visual data” or “qualia” by applying fabric, paint, vinyl, marker, and other provisional materials onto a clear acrylic sheet secured on-site. At each location, I did this from two, 180-degree vantage points. In the studio, I then merged the two data sets from each location, effectively “smoothing out” the opposing perspectives. The resulting collages are sandwiched between upcycled acrylic and installed at their origin sites, converging the two perspectives and inviting reflection on continuity, duality, and change.
The above images sample the process from the Loines Observatory site. Image 1 is Loines Observatory from afar, followed by “data collection” from vantage point 1, then “data collection” from vantage point 2, then the two “data sets” side-by-side, and finally, the collage that merges the two perspectives together. For more information on my work and process, please visit www.ritaleduc.com.
About The Art of Oika: Nantucket:
To locate additional outdoor artwork from The Art of Oika: Nantucket, please click here for a map.
Please visit the full exhibition, open from June 15-July 12, 2023 at the Maria Mitchell Gallery at 33 Washington Street, including work by Rich Blundell, Dena Haden, Dakota Clearwater La Croix, Rita Leduc, and Robert Peters. The gallery is open most days; to confirm entry or make an appointment, please call Rich at the number posted on the door or email rblundell@mariamitchell.org.
For complete information about the exhibition, please visit the exhibition webpage.
To learn more about Oika and projects beyond Nantucket, please visit oika.com.