“The world for us, suddenly faced with the possibility of the world without us, beyond the known and toward the unknown, thus creating the otherworldly. This act of creation results in a great fear of the unknown, or the infinite black space that seems to endlessly push in from beyond. The brain cannot fathom the otherworldly and remains unaware of its own disappearance, slipping into those blackest folds between stars. The world then fills this void and visualizes the otherworldly as a brain in outer space, floating motionless, surrounded by the black seas of infinity.”
David Peak, Spectacle of the Void. Schism Press, 2014.
Artist Statement
The conflict between fascination and fear within the oddities found on our own planet create voids in which uncanniness overwhelms. Through my work, I create spectacles of these curiosities by forcing a confrontation – an experience that acts as a unique and impactful encounter. The narratives within my work tell the willfully ignored stories of the vestigial beings that exist beyond what our senses can comprehend. I parade these curiosities, not necessarily despite their uncanniness, but because of it. While the uncanny evokes uneasiness, I toy with the relationship between attraction and repulsion to force the viewer to deliberate on the oddities before them by creating atmospheres of feeling where intrigue and repulsion contest for dominance. My work explores a void, both physical and psychological where we are faced with the unknowns that exist in the spaces where we cannot – whether microscopic, historic, or within areas of our planet that are uninhabitable by humans. My installations create an environment – an experience – where viewers are to face the nihilistic “world without us” and explore it and its oddities. It is this way that I wish to allow viewers entry into the void. When gazing upon my work, I desire viewers to feel a sense of wonder and simultaneous unease that captivates and mystifies. Within each encounter, I bridge the gap that written and verbal languages cannot express – telling the narratives of the voids amongst us.
There is an innate sense of beauty and refinement within the medium of glass. Delicate, transparent, crystal, trace, and luster – all conventional adjectives of glass’ aesthetic allure. Juxtaposing my creatures of curiosity with such an attractive medium creates a discussion about notions of beauty within nature and concepts of the uncanny. As glass has great optical potential, I use light, distortion and various coldworking techniques to create installation that transports spectators into the narratives being explored. The experience challenges conventional perceptions of normality and attractiveness through all encompassing displays of light, projection and creation of rich atmosphere. I enjoy using my two primary mediums of glass and metals to illustrate these creatures in both their delicacy and their horrors.
I find great fascination in the oddities found on our own planet – the creatures and environments that we place in the uncanny. I am intrigued by our aversion to these oddities, despite their curious allure. Inspired by the writings of David Peak, I have grown inquisitive as to how voids within our understanding impact our reactions to the natural world around us. As a Canadian, I take great pride in my heritage and country and use the hidden worlds within Canada as the mode for sharing my narratives. As such, my current work explores the micro cosmic ecosystems within our Canadian landscape as well as Canada’s rich fossil record of the creatures time as forgotten. Taking inspiration from scientific journals and imaginative authors, my work tells the nihilistic narrative of places inaccessible to our senses and beyond what they can feasibly comprehend.
Biography
Mackenzie Roth was born and raised in Calgary, AB. She works primarily through the medium of glass and metals, however she doesn’t ever limit herself and likes to create with whatever she believes will communicate her idea strongest. She holds a BFA in Glass with a minor in Jewelry and Metals from the Alberta University of the Arts and working as the head graphic designer and social media director for Sentry Box Cards (while she isn’t working for her own business endeavors!).
Read 2022 Alberta University of the Arts graduating BFA thesis: