Animal Herds Installation at 301 Gallery (by Jenn Houle).

Animal Herds

2012-2011 (images are of current installation)

Ink on vellum, cutout animals mounted to wall

12’X3’X42’

“Animal Herds” is a mobile installation of hundreds of small cut out animal paintings that are assembled directly onto the wall in the forms of wolves. The wolves are composed of the animals that they eat, including deer, caribou, moose, musk oxen, bison, mice and many others. Each prey animal is painted on vellum with radiant color bleeds in fluid ink, which is countered by the specificity of the hand cut animal shape.

Due to massive extermination campaigns and overdevelopment of natural areas, gray wolves are now endangered across most of the U.S.  Their struggle for survival hinges on the presence of a healthy and diverse ecosystem, indicated by the wide variety of species that they subsist on. The energy from the prey becomes the energy of the predator upon consumption. The animals mass together to become the predator and change formation each time the piece is installed, creating a new form of existence.

“Animal Herds” is a mobile installation piece of hundreds of small cut out animal paintings that are assembled in the life size forms of wolves. The wolf is composed of the animals that it eats, including deer, caribou, moose, musk oxen, bison, mice and many others. Each prey animal is painted on polypropylene paper with radiant color bleeds in fluid ink, which is countered by the specificity of the cut animal shape.

It is currently on view at the Artist’s and Craftsman Supply in Central Square, Cambridge MA until September 2nd. Check out installation photos on my blog. In December the wolves will migrate to Frame 301 Gallery at Montserrat College of Art.

The individual animals that compose the herd also serve as their own art piece. Pictured here is a caribou and a young buck grazing. The bottom images are selections from ‘To Those Held Deer’. This is a customizable deer family you choose the number of adults and fawn in your piece! It is currently available through my RocketHub campaign ‘Boston Artist Bear-ly Escapes Vermont Wild’ to help fund my residency at the Vermont Studio Center in August. Campaign ends 8/2!

Deer ready to be cut for the ‘To Those Held Dear’ piece! Check it out on http://rkthb.co/8978!