Desirée Patterson: Interglacial | The Reach Gallery

Interglacial, a solo exhibition by Vancouver-based environmental artist Desirée Patterson, focuses on the present as a critical moment in deep history, one in which the global climate crisis puts the future well-being of our planet, and all the living beings it hosts, in the balance.

Crucial to the regeneration of our planet, ice ages are expansive cycles of geologic time, in which ice proliferates over the surfaces of the Earth. In our present interglacial, a warmer period defined by the end of one ice age and the beginning of the next, we are faced with the haunting possibility that our planet may never experience another ice age.

Glaciers and forests, both key features of the natural environment of British Columbia and Canada, are endangered ecosystems rendered fragile and interdependent in the face of the ongoing global climate crisis. Some such landscapes might feel geographically and emotionally distant, while others eerily familiar; yet their vitality is essential to us all. Patterson invites us to immerse ourselves in their beauty, admire their capacity for survival or even regeneration, and develop or deepen our commitment to their stewardship.

The centrepiece of the exhibition is Still in Place, a monumental installation inspired by Place Glacier in the Coast Mountains, one of British Columbia’s approximately 12,000 glaciers projected to vanish by the end of this century. More than 2,000 sq. ft of textile cyanotypes—which Patterson exposed directly on glacial surfaces—will echo the contours of Place Glacier and the adjacent mountain ridge in a multisensory experience incorporating form, colour, light, and a soundscape.

Interglacial is the culmination of Patterson’s year-long affiliation, as Artist in Residence, with the UN International Year of Glaciers’ Preservation. From her participation in this initiative emerged a series of partnerships with leading Canadian environmental scientists. Informed by these collaborations, Patterson has created five ambitious new bodies of work that translate complex environmental scientific evidence, data, and methods into multisensory experiences aiming to champion science as the most viable source of climate hope. Lens-based and lensless photographic imagery is transformed into architecturally scaled sculptures and immersive installations that transport us to remote natural environments calling for our care.