TERRY BILLINGS "Flash," February 1 to March 13, 2011, Chapel Gallery, North Battleford, SK

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"Revealed Wasp Drawing 1"

Terry Billings, "Revealed Wasp Drawing 1," wasp nest paper, canvas, acrylic, 2006.

TERRY BILLINGS

Flash, February 1 to March 13, Chapel Gallery, North Battleford, SK

BY: Amy Fung

Spanning 30 years, Terry Billings’ artistic career has always addressed the relationship between nature and culture, especially the boundaries between very public forms of understanding of nature and our individual subjective understanding. Invested in exploring the representation of nature through filters such as spectacle and aesthetics, Billings is also well aware of the realities of urban sprawl. Flash, Billings’ new immersive multimedia installation focuses on patterns intrinsic to nature — found in the symmetrical folds of wasps’ nests, and the contemplative ripples on a pond. The patterns reveal the innate energy in each natural form. “The video looks at the microcosms at play in nature,” says Billings, who also teaches studio courses at the University of Saskatchewan, and has spent the past year as an art mentor in North Battleford. “I gather most of the imagery and materials while walking in natural areas in and around the city of Saskatoon.”