Danielle Reddick has constructed three children from mesh and barbed wire, children whom she felt a need to create coming from the war in Ukraine.
“The only thing I can say about that is you can’t avoid it,” said Reddick, referring to the war in Europe. Reddick lives and creates in Picton, just outside of Prince Edward County. She is the newest solo exhibitor at the Space art gallery in Haliburton. Her exhibition opened July 3 and will go until the 31st.
Her exhibit is called ‘Follow the Sun’ after a song by Xavier Rudd of the same name. Reddick and her partner were trying to come up with titles, and they put Rudd’s song on, and it sparked something within them.
The sculpture that greets visitors looking like a living child is Perdita Ponders, which translates to “lost child” and is of a young girl who has gone through trauma, but still has a light inside her. She has chains around her legs and a dress made out of bronze mesh.
Reddick’s hope is people will connect with the piece and “truly experience a sense of hope and love.” The artist said, “these works, because they’re created with a certain vibration of sweetness, that resonance will then actually reflect to the viewer.”
Creating the pieces took eight months. The exhibit comprises over 20 pieces hung up throughout the Space art studio.
Referencing her choice of materials, the artist said, “I love the contrast of the very, very old fence that has already lived his life and had a purpose and been discarded. So, to contrast that with the gold mesh, the bronze mesh, it sets up a dynamic of energy. That’s what it represents. When you look at bronze in Roman times, in ancient times, it was highly valued.”
The Space owner, Scott Walling, said he chose Reddick because, “I wanted to change up the space. It was a perfect fitting for timing, scheduling and placement. She was close enough to be able to drop off sculptural work and come up for the reception, and she was able to give me such a large amount of work.”
Reddick said she got her inspiration from the Creator and from divine nature.“Basically, I go into my studio. I don’t know what I’m going to create on any given day. And I wait. And something comes and I just begin making, and hours will pass. I haven’t had a drink and I might be really cold. But something has been made,” Reddick said.
Walling has said he is open to having private showings outside of his regular business hours of Wednesday, Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. The Space is at 173 Highland St., below the record store. He can be reached on Instagram at @thespace_hali or by email at thespacehaliburton@gmail.com.
