Backyard Wilderness: Burrows & Bungalows (Leila Armstrong)

The works in this exhibition find their origins in Leila Armstrong’s interest in the nature/cultural divide. When she was working as one half of the duo 12 Point Buck, Armstrong would frequently have discussions with her collaborator Chai Duncan about the role nature plays in our lives. At that time she strongly believed nature was little more than a cultural construct; that we are so emersed in historical and cultural representations we can’t experience nature in any real sense.

What is nature if not folk tales, Disney wildlife documentaries, and zoos? Subsequently, her understanding of nature matured. Thinking back to summers spent at her grandparents’ cabin in the interior of British Columbia, seeing a coyote cross the street in an East Vancouver neighbourhood during the ‘80s, and watching a cottontail devour new growth in the back garden have all led her to understand how important nature is. After all, nature can help us understand the stakes involved in notions of progress and control.