2016 Riverside Arts Festival 1 | Page 8

The Natural & The Manufactured is a unique thematic project conceived as a speculative research and presentation forum. A collaboration between the ODD Gallery and KIAC’s artist-in-residence program, The N&M starts with a 6-week creation residency for two artists or two collaborative duos. It culminates with the presentation of two installations (one in the gallery, one off-site), two artist talks and a guest lecture. Through such a rich program of exhibitions, installations, actions, lectures and essays, The Natural & The Manufactured engages both artists and audiences in a re-examination of the cultural, physical and economic values imposed on the natural world. Artists chosen for this annual project explore alternative political, social and aesthetic agendas and strategies to form new understandings of our relationship to the environment and our social infrastructures. Now in its 12th year, The N&M explores not only how our natural landscapes influence, inspire and sustain us, but also ways our perceptions of – and actions upon – these landscapes directly impact the environment itself. The ODD Gallery gratefully acknowledges the support of the Canada Council for the Arts, Yukon Tourism and Culture, Yukon School of Visual Arts, Parks Canada, the Gallery and Artist-in-Residence committee and our volunteers. 6