Blane De St. Croix & Natalie Frank

Blane De St. Croix’s research-based practice incorporates on the ground site visits, aerial fly-overs, photographic documentation, interviews, internet mining, and satellite imagery to create art that investigate local and international social, political, environmental, and cultural climate challenges. He created two distinct bodies of work while in residence at Dieu Donné that emulate natural phenomenon of snow and laval using processes innate to pulp and paper making. The two series of low-relief modular wall works are based on the artist’s research trips to the Arctic Circle and the Hawaiian shield volcano of Kilauea, respectively. Landscapes based on images and memory were re-created with foam - a light, malleable, and waterproof material - to use as an armature for sheets of cotton pulp in natural white and black made with carbon black pigment to emulate snow and lava.