Heather Harvey

I See a Darkness

Made with found materials collected in Portugal during an art residency at Buinho Creative Hub; combined with watercolor on paper, paper pulp, and other materials from daily life.

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This installation explores the sense of cosmic order that emerges in the quiet darkness of winter. It was developed from observations made while working in Portugal during the late Covid era. I arrived early on New Year's Day, just as the government and schools were shutting back down. A hushed, sacred quality filled the air, drawing heightened attention to the fragile beauty of everyday life.

It is part of a larger body of work in development that explores how specific locations and experiences can mark a person and create a whole complex of memories, bodily impressions, and subjective references. The work also references enigmatic materials drawn from dreamscapes, nocturnal solitude, and the depths of the unconscious.