Alana Bartol | Processes of Remediation: art, relationships, nature

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Alana Bartol, “Alana Bartol doing a site specific coal chute rubbing, Grassy Mountain Coal Project,” no date

(photo courtesy of blkarts.ca)

Processes of Remediation: art, relationships, nature is a multi-part, multi-site project by artist Alana Bartol that engages the past, present, and possible future of coal mining in the areas of Crowsnest Pass, Alberta and North Vancouver Island. With this iteration, Bartol has expanded the project to examine mining practices and the environmental consequences of mining operations near Campbell River, BC – specifically focussing on the site of the Quinsam Coal Mine. Processes of Remediation: art, relationships, nature examines the impacts of coal mining on wildlife, watersheds, ecosystems, and plants. The site-responsive artworks include drawing, video, sculpture, participatory art, and installation. The majority of the artworks center around the Crowsnest Pass in Southern Alberta, but take on new meaning and relevance in relation to mining practices in the Strathcona Regional District. This work is informed by consultation with Traditional Knowledge Keepers Cory Cliffe (Wei Wai Kum First Nation) and Vanessa Sharkey (Swampy Cree First Nation).  

In a time of climate and ecological crisis, when we have choices to make about protecting wildlife, lands and watersheds, how can we envision and help secure a future for this place where the coal stays inside the earth? How do we imagine ways forward that are not predicated on the continued destruction of the environment rooted in resource extraction and ongoing settler colonial violence? How can art play a role in this process?               -Alana Bartol