These images are part of a photographic series titled Illuminated Petragraphs in which I have been projecting ceramic decorative details onto rock formations and photographing the resulting constructed Canadian landscapes. Since much of what is known about human migration is through archaeological recovery of ceramic fragments, the Illuminated Petragraph images can be understood as a trace of some of the immigration patterns of people into Canada. The complete series includes Japanese, Chinese, French, German, English and Italian ceramics to represent major immigrant populations in various Canadian regions. Because ceramic objects, both functional and ornamental, have for a long time been a necessary component to the creation of “home” and have played a large role in the rituals surrounding family, these images also function as metaphor for women’s contributions through their domestic endeavours to the settlement and stabilization of Canada.
Lorraine Field has a BFA and an MA in Art Ed from NSCAD. She has been a grant recipient of the Canada Council, the Nova Scotia Art Council, the Banff Centre, and the Barbara Spohr Award for Contemporary Photography. Her work has been shown nationally and internationally and is in the following collections: the Art Bank of Nova Scotia, the Canadian Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade, Halifax Harbour Commission, and Government House in Halifax.
