Loren Williams is a photography-based artist interested in natural history and early photographic processes. Her working methods borrow from the fields of archaeology, botany, museology and other forms of collecting and salvage. Her work is often site-specific with strong connections to local history.
Originally from Creston and Sanca B.C., Loren Williams moved to Montreal in 1993 and received her BFA honours in photography at Concordia University. She has received awards and grants from the federal and provincial art councils and has exhibited her work nationally with solo and group exhibitions in galleries, museums and various unconventional exhibition sites. Recent projects include Materia Medica, exhibition and artist residency at the Osler Library for the history of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal (2019); Adélard immersive artist residency, Frelighsburg, QC. (2020); Botanica, at Chapelle des Cuthbert, Berthierville, QC. (2021); In Search of the Papineau Woods, Park Lafontaine, and Pierre-Francois Art Contemporain, Montreal, QC. (2022).
.
Originally from Creston and Sanca B.C., Loren Williams moved to Montreal in 1993 and received her BFA honours in photography at Concordia University. She has received awards and grants from the federal and provincial art councils and has exhibited her work nationally with solo and group exhibitions in galleries, museums and various unconventional exhibition sites. Recent projects include Materia Medica, exhibition and artist residency at the Osler Library for the history of Medicine, McGill University, Montreal (2019); Adélard immersive artist residency, Frelighsburg, QC. (2020); Botanica, at Chapelle des Cuthbert, Berthierville, QC. (2021); In Search of the Papineau Woods, Park Lafontaine, and Pierre-Francois Art Contemporain, Montreal, QC. (2022).
.
The Invisible Garden, is an ephemeral art installation by Loren Williams which follows the botanical trail of two, early 20th century, local women who collected plant specimens in the area of Kootenay Lake. During the summer of 1915, Laura Wallace collected plants in the Boswell area and a year later, Alice Holman collected plants in Riondel and Queen's Bay. Combined, they contributed over 100 plant specimens to the University of British Columbia Herbarium collection creating an important record of Kootenay Lake's past biodiversity.
From June to September, 2023, visitors in Creston can discover botanical images inspired by plants collected in the Kootenay Lake area over a century ago. The ground level images become visible when it rains, or when water is added by visitors to the different sites in the installation. The images disappear when the cement surface is dry and reappear when it is wet.
Blue water drop symbols on the sidewalk indicate the location of the 4 different sites of this installation, located between the Creston Tourist Information Office and the Kunze Gallery, at the intersection of Pine St. and NW Boulevard.
Visitors are invited to bring water bottles or plant spritzers, which they can fill at the Kunze Gallery, to reveal the hidden images. Additional information about the project and a limited number of water spritzer bottles will also be available for visitors to borrow at the gallery.
From June to September, 2023, visitors in Creston can discover botanical images inspired by plants collected in the Kootenay Lake area over a century ago. The ground level images become visible when it rains, or when water is added by visitors to the different sites in the installation. The images disappear when the cement surface is dry and reappear when it is wet.
Blue water drop symbols on the sidewalk indicate the location of the 4 different sites of this installation, located between the Creston Tourist Information Office and the Kunze Gallery, at the intersection of Pine St. and NW Boulevard.
Visitors are invited to bring water bottles or plant spritzers, which they can fill at the Kunze Gallery, to reveal the hidden images. Additional information about the project and a limited number of water spritzer bottles will also be available for visitors to borrow at the gallery.
Blue water drop symbols on the sidewalk indicate the location of the different sites of this installation, located between the Creston Tourist Information Office and the Kunze Gallery; at the intersection of Pine St. and NW Boulevard; at the Creston Museum and at the St. Anselm's Church, in Boswell.