Floorplan for Adorable Bungalow 6752MG, coloured pencil on paper, 55 x 75 inches, 2020
In setting up a campsite, families participate in the ritual of constructing a temporary home, seeking comfort in familiar objects and belongings while at the same time experiencing a sense of retreat and restoration through nature. Interestingly, many North Americans have developed a suburban relationship to the wilderness, having come to expect a wide range of services, such as electricity, running water, washrooms and even wifi, while at the same time romanticizing and contextualizing their experiences as rugged escapes from contemporary urban life. This drawing invites viewers to question at what point the activity of camping becomes so far removed from its initial intent as to become something new entirely. The fully furnished domestic layout points to a powerful desire to cling to the comforts of home, while the fake trees, picnic table and fire pit suggest an almost ceremonial re-enactment of past traditions, whose meanings have evolved independently from the natural landscape. Positioned within the broader scope of human experience, I am inviting viewers to trace the origin and function of our daily activities and cultural practices and to consider the often absurd, contradictory and oddly ingenious patterns of behavior that emerge and evolve.