Award details
Kyra McLeod
Department: Visual Arts
Faculty supervisor: Prof. Robert Youds
Abstract
"I plan to explore the tensions in urban settings that arise from the global pressure put on individuals to become global citizens. As globalization expands and deepens into every aspect of our culture, it minimizes the importance of local community and puts a new focus on the global citizen. As a result, urban life is emphasized while the natural world is increasingly exploited. Through the mediums of sculpture and painting, I intend to study the relationship we form with our urban and natural environments in this context. From destroying nature in favour of urban development to reinstating nature within these developments, my research questions the conceptions of the natural world and the role it plays in our identity as both global and urban citizens. I intend to analyze Canadian political ecology and the myths surrounding Canada and the natural world. Using visual juxtapositions, I will highlight the tensions individuals face in adopting a global identity at the expense of national values. My research will be focused on studio based practice to create a body of work that challenges and explores notions of urban identity and the natural world."
