Sean Whalley: Second Story

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Other associated events: Opening reception and artist talk, Friday, November 5, 7:30 pm Panel discussion, Globalization, Eco-tourism and the State of Nature, Tuesday, November 30, 7:00 pm

Second Story is not just a meditation on trees. With this body of work Sean Whalley tackles the problem of Western social and cultural development in relation to the natural environment. The installation constructs an artificial forest with similarities, in configuration and scale, to a naturally treed site. While the installation reflects on the natural world, it comprises a fabricated sculptural ensemble. The constucted woodland occupying the gallery site invites consideration of our relationship to renewable resources such as forests, fisheries and water. This woodland is constructed from the discards of society. It embodies the artist's concerns about how we conceive of nature, and how our concept of nature shapes our practices in eco-tourism, agriculture, forestry and other activities involving renewal resources. Sean Whalley received a BFA from York University and an MFA from the University of Regina. He currently teaches sculpture at the University of Regina.

Sean Whalley, Second Story (Installation View), 2004.