Arteles Catalogue 2023-2020

Silence Awareness Existence program / FEBRUARY 2023
Catherine Arseneault
Canada
www.catherinearseneault.com
About
Through a variety of photographic techniques, I explore
the intuitive nature of intrapersonal communication and
internal dialogue. My practice is essentially a regurgitation
of overanalyzed affective mindscapes and self imposed
anxieties. My creative process is fuelled by an incessant
need to evaluate and understand my own realities/memories.
Instinctively, my work is the result of thoughts of thoughts;
concepts of concepts; and interpretations of interpretations.
My pieces represent fetishized stories, imagined spaces or
scrutinized memories.
Often accompanied by words or sound and sometimes video,
my photographs act as filters: they speak with boundaries;
they purify contaminated ideas; they allow me to voice and
make tangible very specific instances of ambiguous contexts
and ephemeral moments. The inclusion of words and sound
serve to divulge additional information related to my imagery.
They attempt to clarify my perceived realities. However, my
work tends to remain rather cryptic.
By exposing ruminating thoughts - as wavering as they
can be - I hope my work is able to create links between my
subjective realities and those of who contemplate/participate
in my work.
In no particular order
I brought images from home and collected images from here
- to bring home - to remember this distance. To make links
with images. To put two places together.
It was windy that day. I went into the trees. I sat up against
one’s truck. It was swaying in the wind. Can I look at you
again? Would you sit and be silent with me? Would you look
out at the landscape with me? The birds were all around
today. I found bones. The fog came.
Going past where the power lines reach and taking a walk
to where the rivers meet - a conflux is a merging of rivers.
Otherwise in salty waters, under a hot sun, feeling sand
between my toes. The way the light can shine sometimes.
How it enters a room and makes dust particles shimmer. Or
how it makes shadows dance in the wind. The window divides
my view into six panes. Anxiety. Pain. Fear. Embarrassment.
Frustration. Worry.
It’s nice to think in maybes. Possibilities. Each for different
reasons. The ones I hardly ever see - but think about often.
The old house I live in, with its creaky floors and old light
fixtures. The lady I noticed yesterday with a really tight perm
and perfect deep red lipstick. Some things can be so perfect.
Like curiosity and something about the splendour of it all…
The tulips died beautifully.
I read that observation changes what is being observed.