The Oregon Origins Project has launched an innovative interdisciplinary undertaking titled VI: The Birth of Cascadia, which integrates music, visual art, and geology into a cohesive artistic narrative.
This project showcases ten musical movements by composer and project director Matthew Packwood, each paired with original works by ten Oregon-based visual artists. The collaboration emphasizes the significance of geology as a cornerstone of creative inspiration, alongside music and visual art.
Historical instances of collaboration exist between music and visual art, with figures like Wassily Kandinsky and James McNeill Whistler using musical terminology to describe their artworks. Henri Matisse’s illustrated book Jazz, drawn from his cut-out works, reflects themes of improvisation. In contrast, John Cage’s groundbreaking composition 4’33’’ highlights ambient sounds and reflects on the influence of Robert Rauschenberg’s White Painting. These examples underscore the reciprocal relationship between the two art forms.
This time, geology takes center stage in the Oregon Origins Project, positioning it as an essential force that informs both visual art and music. The project culminates in performances at Beaverton’s Patricia Reser Center for the Arts on June 21st and 22nd, where visual pieces will be projected behind the orchestra.
Geologist Ian Madin was instrumental in shaping the project by selecting significant geological events as thematic anchors, which create both a narrative and a visual context. Packwood noted the vast array of geological events available for selection, indicating the fierce debate among scientists regarding their significance. Madin’s choices were characterized not only by geological prominence but also by accessibility within the Oregon landscape. Each artistic collaboration began with site visits, allowing the artists to engage deeply with the geological formations.
The selection process for artists involved curator Stephanie Snyder, along with visual artists Nan Curtis and Juniper Harrower, who helped identify practitioners deeply connected to place. Based on this criteria, Packwood was drawn to artists who reflected an engagement with the landscape, leading to insightful collaborations.
Notably, artists Sara Siestreem and Jim Lavadour chose geological events that strongly resonate with their ancestries. For instance, Siestreem selected a movement focused on sediment deposition along the Pacific coast, congruent with her Hanis Coos heritage. Lavadour’s choice centered on a dramatic geological event tied to the Umatilla and Walla Walla peoples, involving a significant basalt flow resulting from volcanic activity.
While Siestreem’s and Lavadour’s contributions align closely with geological events, two prominent artists in the exhibit did not partake in the site visits, creating a distance between their work and the project’s geological narrative.
The remaining artists, including Christine Bourdette, Amanda Triplett, and Juniper Harrower, created pieces directly inspired by their site visits to various Oregon locations in the summer of 2024. Packwood’s compositions responded to such engagements, allowing room for collaboration and conversation as the artists developed their artworks.
During interviews with Bourdette, Triplett, and Harrower, each artist voiced enthusiasm for the collaborative nature of their work but experienced varying connections to the geological concepts. Bourdette’s site visit to a quarry in the Coast Range did not yield immediate inspiration. The event known as ‘The Birth of Cascadia’ presented challenges, as it concerns an underwater occurrence that could hardly be visualized from a single location.
However, Bourdette’s resulting work consists of a series of photogravures that symbolize the subduction event’s various stages, marrying time with her artistic exploration. This intricately layered composition embodies both geological timelines and unpredictable natural processes, demonstrating her engagement with geological themes.
Bourdette’s prior experience within the realm of geology has led her to articulate the relevance of geological study in understanding contemporary instabilities in the world, emphasizing the idea of navigating through instability.
Conversely, Triplett’s engagement with Packwood’s music transformed her approach, as her initial notion of a conceptual map evolved into a focus on a dynamic moment – the eruption of water from a glacial dam during the Missoula Floods. Her vibrant fabric piece weaves a narrative concerning the immense flow of water birthed from a geological event, combining textures and colors that evoke the tumult of the moment.
Harrower’s assignment engaged with the Mima mounds, a site representing the tension between geological formations and human intervention. Through her research-driven process, she considers how human actions impact the earth while exploring the formed shapes relevant to the mounds. Her artwork suggests a broader contemplation of anthropogenic changes, abstracting the geological landscape into her visual vocabulary.
The exhibition at Stelo Arts features these artists’ works, curated with an emphasis on visual impact over narrative explanation. While geological events and locations are presented in an overview format, the focus remains on the creative expression of each artist. The exhibition space is designed to privilege the artistic experience, inviting viewers to engage with the depth and visceral quality of the pieces on display.
Despite the absence of detailed geological narratives accompanying each artwork, opportunities exist for educational engagement. Ian Madin will give talks at the exhibition and the musical performance, allowing attendees to delve more deeply into the project’s geological context.
In conclusion, the Oregon Origins Project encapsulates a unique exploration of the connection between geology, music, and visual art, showing how these disciplines can collaboratively interpret the same scientific and geographic inspirations. The artists’ ability to navigate their respective practices in relation to geological time, place, and human impact encapsulates a point of reflection on their work, culminating in a powerful artistic dialogue. As the project unfolds, it celebrates the intersections of creativity and provides a platform for exploring the complex narratives woven through the fabric of Oregon’s geological landscape.
image source from：orartswatch
