FORMations

FORMations Jude Abu Zaineh Video: Petri-dish samplings, agar, food, plants, soil 2022 duration 5:15:49 FORMations reflects the natural ecology of food and flora in the region. Sampling the earth, indigenous and collected plant species, and leftover foods, FORMations examines the constant evolution within an ever-shifting cultural and geographical landscape; the petri-dish environment makes visible the invisible by providing a medium of growth for the microbial and bacterial communities that naturally exist within food and our overall surroundings. This enclosed environment gives metaphorical and visual connections to the often ignored or erased narratives and the layered complexities of hybrid existences that many newcomer (human and nonhuman species) experience in their respective, evolving habitats. The work gives a visual nod to the artist’s cultural heritage in referencing geometric forms found in South West Asia and North African architecture and Islamic art, while acknowledging the larger landscapes, foods, resources, and diverse ecosystems that make-up Southwest Ontario & region. Also taking additional inspiration from the Southwest Ontario landscape and Ron Benner’s adjacent public garden, As The Crow Flies.