Genetics for Cowboys
Multimedia Installation by Deborah Carruthers
September 15 – October 13, 2012
Opening Reception
Saturday, September 15th, 2 – 5 PM
Genetics for Cowboys, a multimedia installation, was created
in response to an artist residency exploring the intersection of science and
art at University
of Calgary. The
exhibition investigates the socio-political impact of bovine spongiform
encephalopathy, commonly known as mad cow disease, and is the result of a
research project the artist engaged in at the invitation of renowned scientists
such as Dr. Morley Hollenberg and Dr. Christen Sensen at the University of Calgary.
The presentation includes paintings, photographs, a sound
installation and a didactic slide show. The sound component of Genetics for
Cowboys is comprised of an audio loop of the cattle auctions at Oldes Auction
Mart, Alberta.
Carruthers creates her intervention through this sound loop, now disrupted to
include auctioneers “calling out” in auction patter, juxtaposed with
Agriculture Canada
regulations pertaining to the prevention and containment of mad cow disease, as
well as excerpts of science and news articles.
The artist’s suite of bold acrylic paintings capture
evocative abstract representations of cattle coats along with DNA-like
renderings of the disease causing agent of mad cow disease. The accompanying
photography deftly displays the complex realities of animal husbandry and the
burgeoning field of related genetics to complete a compelling view of
information gleaned from her research – research that raises provocative
questions about what can happen when economic and political concerns trump
science.
Genetics for Cowboys powerfully intersects art and science
to investigate little known information about a very well known event that some
in fact may find hard to swallow.
Text by Linda Abrahams
Artist bio: Deborah Carruthers is a Montreal based artist and curator. Her
projects have been presented in art venues across Canada, as well as internationally.
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