Halifax goes Nocturnal

Keeling says the showstopper piece for the exhibition will be three free standing ceramic deer. Their narrow legs presented a technical challenge for Keeling to get them to stand. She spent much of her residency getting them to work.

Being in Lunenburg forced Keeling’s work into a new direction. Working and talking with the community pushed her away from political narratives towards more personal narratives. And she soon found herself making deer.

“There was always an article about deer in their local newspaper every week… you’d go out your front door and there would be a deer in the middle of the main street in town.”

Keeling will also be showing a collection of other animals as well as the deer, such as bats and rats. They aren’t as cute as the deer, but highlight the lack of sentimentality she has in her subjects. And she admits although she’s an animal lover, she’s not always in love with the animals she’s sculpting.

“I’m not trying to humanize the animals. Not that it’s a negative thing, but it’s something I try not to do. I’m not trying to add human emotion. I’m trying to look at them as animals.”

Drawing on our use of animals in fables, Keeling hopes to strengthen the narrative qualities of her pieces. Using the animals she’s exploring Canadian mythology. Her deer were inspired by China’s iconic Tang dynasty horses.

“I was looking for a way of identifying with people, and I feel like wildlife and Canadian identity are fairly linked together. When you talk with someone about what it means to be Canadian you talk about the landscape, forests and the wildlife. It’s just a way to connect with people and talk about what it means to be Canadian.”

Heather Keeling’s nocturnal animals will be on display alongside David Harper‘s nocturnal animals at Halifax’s Seeds Gallery starting Tue October 7 and wrapping up during Halifax’s Nocturne Festival Sat October 18.

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