The Giens Peninsula (Presqu’île de Giens) on the southern coast of France was home to a recent Brock artist residency organized by the University’s Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture.A group of researchers and artists are sharing creative works inspired by an artist residency in Hyères, France, in a new exhibition at Brock’s Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts (MIWSFPA).
The group was in residency at Musée du Niel on the Giens Peninsula in the south of France in June 2024. Surrounded by small islands, the peninsula is a designated national park encompassing a small section of the Mediterranean Sea that faces challenges caused by climate change.
“Musée du Niel is committed to the preservation of the local environment; and the research and creation we engaged in during the residency explored the notion of pollution and how the environment impacts humans. This aligns with the work being done at Brock in the field of Environmental Humanities,” said organizer Catherine Parayre, Professor of Modern Languages, Literatures and Cultures (MLLC) and Director of the Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture’s (STAC) at Brock.
The group took photographs, wrote texts and created drawings and videos documenting the gallery, its garden by the sea, a nearby island and old salt fields.
Florence Denis, Director of Musée du Niel, said the visit from Brock was their first artist residency and “an extraordinary enrichment not only for the entire team working at the museum, but also for the visitors who had the chance to meet the residents.”
Brock artists and creators recently returned from an artist residency at the Musée du Niel in France with inspiration for a new exhibition now on at the Marilyn I. Walker School of Fine and Performing Arts. From left are Troy Ouellette, Assistant Professor of Visual Arts; Nicholas Hauck, Assistant Professor of Modern Languages; Catherine Parayre, Professor and Director of Centre for Studies in Arts and Culture; and Adam Dickinson, Professor of English Language and Literature.
Denis said the intersections between words, sounds and visual arts, infused by the natural environment reflected themes of connections, even across oceans.
“The location of the Musée du Niel on the Giens peninsula, echoing the Niagara Peninsula, took on the full meaning of this theme,” Denis said.
The Giens Peninsula’s rich salt resources were heavily exploited in earlier decades. Now thanks to conservation advocacy, the salt is no longer harvested and the site is protected.
Local buildings where salt used to be processed are now being turned into exhibition spaces used by numerous organizations.
“The creative work being done in this area — the synergy between creative work and environmental advocacy — is mirrored in our research work at Brock in Niagara. We learned from each other, and laid the foundation for future artistic collaborations,” Parayre said.
Parayre also gave a public creative writing workshop, bringing her expertise to museum visitors.
The residency culminated with a “meet the artists” event at the museum welcoming local government and environmental advocacy bodies, including leadership from the cultural department for the city of Hyères, the Director of salt flats Les Pesquiers as well other representatives from the arts and culture sector. Members of the community were also welcomed to network with the group.
Brock artists participating in the residency included Adam Dickinson, Professor of English Language and Literature; Nicholas Hauck, Assistant Professor of MLLC; Troy Ouellette, Assistant Professor of Visual Arts; and retired Professor of History of Art and Visual Culture Derek Knight. Guest artists included Shawn Serfas, Associate Professor and Department Head of Visual Art at the University of British Columbia, and Gina Farrugia.
The exhibit, Back from the Peninsula, is now on at MIWSFPA’s Museum in the Hallway/Boîte-en-valise and runs until Friday, Feb. 21. The Brock and Niagara community are invited to attend the opening reception on Thursday, Jan. 16 from 5 to 7 p.m. More information is available on ExperienceBU.