In the exhibition Systems Shift, artist Valerie Durant presents work from several series that explore the boundaries between photographic image-making and sculpture. These pieces serve as an inquiry into material culture, consumption, and the interconnectedness of living systems, addressing themes of regeneration, ecological precarity, and the impact of human intervention on the natural world.

The Pulp Fiction series reimagines paper shopping bags, transforming them through a layering process that combines carbon, earth pigments, and organic remnants gathered from the forest floor. These materials are cast in moulds made from the living bark of old-growth trees and the crosscuts of clear-cut timber. Photographic imagery—tree rings, moss, and burnt carbon from forest fires—is embedded within these sculptural forms, invoking both memory and place.

In particular, the sculptural series titled Crosscuts mimics the appearance of freshly cut tree trunks, yet these works are deceptively made from pulp derived from used shopping bags. Sculpted using moulds cast from the cross-sections of real logs, the pieces replicate the textures and growth rings of felled trees. By transforming a product of consumer culture back into the likeness of its natural origin, the series underscores the disconnect between material use and ecological consequence—inviting reflection on cycles of consumption, loss, and renewal.

Another body of work features hand-cut, layered photographic collages. These framed works challenge perception and dimensionality, inviting viewers into a multi-sensorial experience. By engaging the sensing body in space, they confront the boundaries between image and object, surface and depth.

With The Last Stand series, sculpture becomes a site of quiet protest. Constructed from found, burnt timbers retrieved from the forest after a wildfire, these works speak to ecological precarity and the impact of human intervention on natural systems. The title references both the last remaining stands of old-growth forests and the urgency of environmental stewardship.

With this exhibition, the artist reflects on the tension between industrialised material use and the fragility of living systems. Durant’s practice interprets climate change as both a personal and collective call for reflection and transformation. Embedded in her identity as a mother and grandmother is a deep commitment to sustainability and intergenerational care—evident in her intentional reuse of organic and inorganic materials to minimise environmental impact for future generations.

MEDIUM(S)

3-dimensional photographic sculpture, multi-layered photographic collage, wood pulp, wood, carbon, powder-coated steel

ARTIST BIO

Valerie Durant was born, lives and creates with gratitude, on the unceded territories of the Musqueam, Squamish and Tsleil-Waututh Nations.  

Her interdisciplinary art practise engages with found objects, photography, sculpture and sound, centred  upon a  contemplative, daily ritual of deep connection  with nature. Within her practice she explores the seemingly invisible  inter-connectivity  and reciprocity between humans and the natural world, working broadly on topics of social and climate equity and sustainability, exploring concepts of regeneration and continuum. Her practise involves the observation of life cycles in nature, using ice, organic materials and recycled paper which have minimal  impact on the ecosystem.   

Durant received her MA (2012) from the University of Pretoria, South Africa, while working as a sustainability consultant for the UK Government. She holds a  BFA (2002)  in visual art  from Emily Carr University and  attended Cooper Union School of Art & Science in NYC. Her MA thesis, focuses on the topic of Sustainable Urban Agriculture and Forestation. 

Solo exhibitions include Points & Perforations, for which she received a Canada Council (CC) New Media Award (2006), resulting in an architectural & sound installation that explored the social and economic dynamism of Vancouver’s Downtown Eastside. In 2021, she received a CC Grant & completed Invisible Rivers, exhibited at the GPAG. Group exhibitions include Looped, at Artemisia, Chicago and The Well, at the Surrey Art Gallery. The Well is held in the SAGAL permanent collection. Durant conceptualized and co-curated Out of the Rain: A Project for Homelessness (2004), a collaborative initiative, engaging with multiple NGO’s, non-profits & community organizations, that created awareness about homelessness  through the arts. She is a recent recipient of a CC Grant (2024) to research and create, Understory: A Hidden Connection, a project in progress.

Works are held in public and private collections locally and internationally.