A new art exhibit takes you deeper into the history and ecosystem of the Coves in London
'Unclaim. Unsettle. Belong' exhibit is on display at Western University's McIntosh Gallery until June 1
The Coves neighbourhood in London, Ont., has evolved significantly throughout its history.
What began as a meander of Deshkan Ziibi — The Anishnaabemowin name for the Thames River — and later served as the site of a paint factory for decades, is now a series of oxbow ponds that are home to a variety of plant and animal species.
A group of five artists and educators called the Coves Collective is using land-based art made with natural materials found in the Coves to display how nature is reclaiming the area, in a new exhibit called 'Unclaim. Unsettle. Belong' on display at Western University's McIntosh Gallery.
"Quite a few of us are inspired by the resiliency of this place as we're moving deeper into this climate crisis and we can feel really depressed and stuck like we don't know how to find hope for the future," said Reilly Knowles, one of the artists involved in the exhibit.
"And coming to a place like this, where we see the land is healing itself, it's coming back from this state of deep pollution to be a beautiful home for so many creatures. To be here is to feel a sense of hope that we can continue to have a meaningful connection to this place."
The Coves consists of lush ponds connected by a network of hiking trails and is designated an environmentally significant area by the City of London.
The group is motivated by their shared desire to have a reciprocal relationship with the land and ecosystem in an environmentally focused manner. Their work is influenced by Indigenous pedagogy and epistemology.
"It's just this beautiful green space that's amazing to bring people into to talk about plant life, human industry, and reclamation of nature versus damage," said visual artist Sheri Osden Nault.
Osden Nault made a blurry drawing of a deer amid "distorted nighttime detail of the plant life," which was a still image captured by a video camera the Coves Collective group set up along the trails.
"That sort of haunting visual of trail cams is something very beautiful that people don't often associate with seeing in the city, so that's what drew me to that imagery," they said.
The Coves' industrial past
Knowles harvested Indigenous plants that were turned into biodegradable dyes with yarns, recycled cloth and natural fibres. They were used by community members to create a map of the Coves and their experiences of the trails they walked.
"It's all about engaging with the space and learning more about it from being in it together," he said. "I very much wanted to create an artwork that at the end of its lifecycle, wouldn't harm the earth when it eventually goes back into it."
Other materials artists used included black raspberry, goldenrod flowering plants, and black walnut dyes to create to create community embroidery.
The Coves looked very different around the 1940s when Thomas Wolfe, an immigrant to Canada purchased the land and started the Almatex Paint Factory on the site.
The factory operated for decades and emitted many toxic chemicals into surrounding water and land before shutting down in 2001. The area is now cordoned off with barbed wire and fences, but its environmental damage still remains in the soil.
"At one time the Coves really had a reputation of being a very sludgy, toxic place that people advised you not go to," said Knowles.
"Since the factory closed, you can see that a lot of life has returned to this area. Even the symbol of the grapevines growing over the fence we can see that life is still trying to persist despite the toxic material in the soil."
The group hopes the exhibit inspires families to visit the Coves and learn about the species living there so they can also have a thoughtful relationship with the land, they said.
The exhibit is on display until June 1.
With files from Matt Allen