Juliana Gagné

Due to time and limited space, not all of the writing and art I was working on for the show were able to be included.

The following are artworks that are not on display in-person at the Scandinavian Cultural Center and Library during January-February 2025.

The anthoype is an ancient type of photography invented by polymath Mary Somerville. Using plants as a photosensitive emulsion (in this series I utilized spinach, turmeric and beets) I then take my modified frame and place the dried plants on top of the coated paper. I then use the sun to expose the image over a series of days or weeks. The emulsion will naturally fade over time, some faster than others. I then took a linoleum block and carved the boat and printed it at my home studio. Once the ink from the boat was dried I used archival Micron pens to illustrate the original plants and fill in with my symbolic designs.

I have been interested in the boat motif as a commonality between all of my ancestors who immigrated to Turtle Island from Europe. No matter which country they came from, they all arrived on boats. I have a long history of fishing on both sides of my family and being with my family in a boat with fishing rods in the water feels like home.

ENTER THE FREE SOUL

This was my Parsons BFA Thesis show, it was an immersive installation utilizing the five senses. Before the show opened, I performed a ritual by myself to fully activate the space as a spiritual and artistic shrine, I referenced the many cultures and religions that are represented in my family. It was not a shrine to one particular culture or religion, but a broader shrine to the similarities before vastly different cultures and devotional practices. Of the many cultures I was raised with, this shrine can find its roots in Saami and Cornish imagery and mythology. The concept of a “free soul state” is a Saami-coined term to describe the trance-like state that Noaide (shamans) would enter. For people outside of the culture a free soul state could be best understood as an elevated consciousness.

Comprised of live greenery, Durst C-print photos and a sculptural shrine on the back wall. To enter the installation you move past a curtain of live hanging vines and enter a different dimension through accessing your “free soul state”. A variety of Saami joiks I curated played and I encouraged visitors to take their time in the installation, through sitting and meditating or praying or dancing and moving to the music.

The shrine was an ever-changing sculpture, one constantly being broken down and rebuilt and having offerings added to it by various visitors to my studio during the weeks I worked on it. I encouraged visitors at the opening to bring an offering of any kind to leave at the shrine, in exchange I gave participating viewers Mugwort tea. One traditional use of mugwort is to cause vivid dreams through its property as an extremely mild hallucinogen.

To hear the playlist, open the Spotify app and follow Juliana Gagné’s playlist: ENTER THE FREE SOUL