PETRA HOSS // Breadalbane, Prince Edward Island, Canada
I used wool as my art material, which was grown and processed by McAusland Woolen Mills in Bloomfield here on PEI, where I live presently. The smell of lanolin is a comforting sensation and cradled in the knowledge of sustainability, an effort we all should try to achieve in order to survive this pandemic.
This project gave me time and space to acknowledge and reflect on our out of control consumerism and the unsustainability of it. PEI is one of the few places that could sustain itself with its agriculture and fisheries. Most of the population lives in rural areas and grows vegetable gardens. Many people still practice the art of gathering wild herbs, beneficial plants and mushrooms, a practice that has been forgotten by many.
Art gives me comfort in the knowledge that we can survive this pandemic with the resources provided by the nature combined with our ancient knowledge of procuring food, clothing and shelter without exploiting our planet.
