Discordant Vernacular
September 14th – October 1st
Opening Reception: September 15th 6 – 9 pm
Discordant Vernacular is curated and produced by Jonathan Groeneweg and Robert Palmer, both second year MFA candidates in the Documentary Media program at Ryerson University.
Discordant Vernacular emerged from two originally distinct bodies of work employing traditional and hybrid forms of photography, sculpture and installation. The artist’s juxtapose elements of manmade construction, nature, and the suggestion of human interaction, to develop a non-linear narrative structure within each image, and the exhibition as a whole. The artist’s varying representations explore the dichotomous relationship that exists between environments constructed by humans, and the nature they support.
Jonathan Groeneweg Description
The conceptual influences directing Jonathans work explore the relationship present between two realms of objects; the “carpentered”, those regarded as being within or products of humanity, and the “non-carpentered”1, those humanity define as being nature. The relationship between these two forms is developed through the harmonization of their visual objective characteristics, and juxtaposition of their associated subjective characteristics. Jonathans’ aesthetic approach toward image making is to break away from traditional relationships between image, scale, and the photographic frame, through unique image creations adapting techniques of photogrammetry, large format prints, sculpture and installation. Together, the employed image format, symbolic references, and historical context suggest a cohesive narrative structure, simultaneously de-emphasizing any single constructed, natural, or human subject, and maintaining an organic connectedness and balance between all of the images contents’.
1: Yi-Fu Tuan, Topophilia: A Study of Environmental Perception, Attitudes and values
Rob Palmer Description
In this series of photographs Robert has focused particularly on simulated natural environments, with emphasis on the structural elements in each image. By searching for nature displayed in pavilions, he has made evident the juxtaposition between manmade materials and nature. Each image in the series adds to a non-linear narrative that represents the complications made apparent in botanical gardens, green houses and zoos. These complications stand out through the transplantation and displacement of plants from what would initially be considered their native environments. This paradox has led Robert to decipher greater meaning in the diminution of nature and contradictorily, the recognition it receives as a spectacle on display for a particular audience.
Media Coverage:
Nature captured through a new lens, The Ryersonian, 9/14/11