Threads of Eternity (2023)

World-builders, shapeshifters

November 18th, 2023 – April 7th, 2024

The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, Oshawa, ON

Curated by Erin Szikora 

Jacobs-Blum is interested in clay as a world-building material. Introduced in the  Hodinöhsö:ni' Creation Story as the original gift to this land, clay has shift-shaping properties and offers unlimited possibility. In this series, Jacobs-Blum connects with clay through a performance documented in the three photographs. Rubbing the clay in between her fingers, on her clothes, and body, she enters into a relationship with it. The clay is then transformed into three domes, laid together on a bed of cedar. Moon cycles adorn the vessels, connecting the earthiness of the clay to the airiness of the cosmos, suggesting we are constantly tethered, held between earth and all that floats above it.

Jacobs-Blum gratefully acknowledges support from the Ontario Arts Council and McMaster University School of the Arts. A special thank you to Carmela Leganse and Jordi Alfaro for supporting the production of the domes.

Installation of World-builders, shapeshifters at The Robert McLaughlin Gallery, 2023. Photos by Toni Hafkenscheid