Jenny Kendler | Goldfinch
Jenny Kendler, solo exhibition.
In the Shadow of the Sundial at Goldfinch, Chicago
Jenny Kendler
Goldfinch
In the Shadow of the SundialApril 24 - May 28, 2021Introduction
Goldfinch is thrilled to present “In the Shadow of the Sundial,” a solo exhibition by multi-media artist and environmental activist Jenny Kendler. Mysterious, witty, and melancholy, many of the sculptures on view in the exhibition demonstrate the artist’s fascination with survival tactics found in nature, evolutionary strategies such as camouflage, encrustation and various symbiotic relationships. In Kendler’s hands, ready-made objects such as decorative tchotchkes, kitchen knives, books—and even a 1980’s boombox—undergo a process of “rewilding,” as the artist adorns and transforms them with materials bearing embedded histories: air quality-indicating lichen, shells of organisms threatened by ocean acidification, or ash Kendler creates by bio-charring Rachel Carson’s seminal book, Silent Spring. These alterations, which often engage old traditions of craftsmanship, speak to what Kendler describes as our “sublimated longing for connection to the natural world,” through which decorative objects like porcelain birds act as “surrogates” for a connection to nature. Through these transformed works, Kendler’s practice gently reminds us of the power in patient, diligent looking, in order to see beyond the immediate form or surface of things. From large-scale public projects and installations to intimately scaled objects, Kendler’s interdisciplinary practice examines and “re-stories” our relationship to and within the natural world. Her work has explored seemingly overwhelming environmental concepts—from extinction to climate change—through sculptures and installations that beckon for an emotional, and often private, encounter with their viewers. For Kendler, these intimate, emotive experiences are instrumental in larger conversations about how we view the more-than-human world and our relationship to our ecological pasts, presents, and uncertain futures.
FRAMEWORK
For the last 15 years, Jenny Kendler has been striving to reduce emissions and waste in her artistic practice, primarily through the consideration of “the full lifecycle of an artwork” and a cradle-to-cradle methodology. Strategies for this include creating works with vintage, upcycled, natural and repurposed materials and eschewing the use of new materials, most especially polymers and plastics, wherever possible. If not made from vintage or reused materials, works are often made of materials that can be recycled (such as steel and aluminum in Birds Watching)—or are sometimes literally biodegradable (Sculpture—> Garden, Herd Not Seen, People’s Porphry). Works often include the creative reuse of components, post-completion, as part of the project arc (as in Mending Wall, where the reclaimed Chicago cobblestones will be distributed to community gardens). Artworks sometimes go beyond reducing carbon emissions to sequestering carbon as part of their content and form in works which create new green space and gardens (Field of Vision, Garden for a Changing Climate, ReWilding Seed Stations), or through the use of biochar (Underground Library, See the Forest). Other works support threatened species (Milkweed Dispersal Balloons, Amber Archive) or raise awareness of the complexities of the climate crisis (Forget Me Not). Working towards a 360 degree view of the impact of an artistic practice, the artist also considers the flow of capital through the work, using works to fundraise for land conservation (GREENZONES) and ecological restoration projects (Other of Pearl–upcoming on Governors Island, which will create a new oyster reef through the sale of sculptures grown inside of pearl-bearing oysters). She also works to “sequester” funds in creative communities by using local, ethical sourcing for services and materials and paying fair, living-wages to artist assistants and fabricators. In addition, the artist maintains a practice as an activist and organizer, working on NVDA (non-violent direct action) in Chicago and beyond and organizing in support of environmental justice, prairie protection and anti-pipeline activists (Water Flags).
EMISSIONS
Summary of calculated carbon impact for the exhibition
PROJECT TRAVEL:
No flights or non-local travel occurred during the creation of this exhibition. Local travel for the artist was estimated to be 20 miles by electric car.
Project Travel: 2 kg CO2e* / 0.002 tCO2e
*Calculated using https://www.carbonfootprint.com/calculator.aspx
PROJECT RELATED ENERGY USE
There are no specific climate requirements for the show, so only normal energy that would otherwise have been consumed by the gallery was used, with the exception of a small sound art work. Because the gallery is in a shared building where specific energy use data was unavailable, energy use was estimated using the square footage, amount of hours the space is occupied per month and the average for commercial building use energy usage in kWh.
Project Related Energy Use: 160 kWh, equivalent to 63 kg CO2e* / .063 tCO2e
*estimated using the EPA Greenhouse Gas Equivalencies Calculator
https://www.epa.gov/energy/greenhouse-gas-equivalencies-calculator
ARTWORK SHIPPING:
Artwork was brought from the artist's local studio to the exhibition, having previously traveled from the MSU Broad Museum in Lansing, MI by road freight on a combined trip, with reused packing materials.
The 11 ft table created for the exhibition at the Broad Museum was specifically not moved in order to decrease carbon emissions and shipping needs, so that an additional freight truck trip was saved, which would otherwise have added 45 kg CO2e to the carbon emissions of the exhibition.
Artwork Shipping Related Carbon: 18 kg CO2e* / 0.18 tCO2e
SUPPLY ORDERS/MATERIAL SHIPPING
Materials for the projects included in the exhibition were collected by the artist over the course of several years, from the most sustainable sources possible.
Jenny Kendler, Amber Archive, 2018–ongoing
Created amber, biological material from species threatened by human activities, and steel and rubber museum mounts on light table
Courtesy the artist, Image credit: Ryan Edmund for Goldfinch, Chicago
For Amber Archive, materials to make the ‘amber’ were sourced from a US-based family-owned farm and scrupulous care was taken when sourcing biological materials to ensure they were ethically collected—via exchanges with biologists, from vintage collections and through the artist's own travels. Small handmade shelves were ordered to replace the large table, which the artist chose not to have shipped from its storage location at the MSU Broad Museum. A butane torch was also used in the creation of the work. Its emissions were not able to be calculated at this time.
Jenny Kendler, Shroud for an Atheist, 2020
Digitally printed silk textile, seawater and interference-gold pigment, metallic acrylic, glass beads, sand, polymer clay, and Textile Cone (Conus textile) shell
Courtesy the artist, Image credit: Ryan Edmund for Goldfinch, Chicago
For Shroud for an Atheist, the bulk of the floor-based sculpture was created using the packing materials which were used in transport of the other works in the show. This was then covered in 10 pounds of sand which had been left at the artist’s studio by another artist. The textile was custom printed in the US on silk, avoiding plastic-based fibers. The small sculpture of the Textile Cone snail was created using a cone shell sourced from a vintage collection, alongside a small amount of polymer clay and acrylic paint.
Jenny Kendler, Heirloom (Hackberry Opal Necklace for Hope Jahren), 2020
Hackberry seeds (Celtis occidentalis), silk string, and vintage clasp in artist’s frame
Courtesy the artist, Image credit: Ryan Edmund for Goldfinch, Chicago
For Heirloom, the artist used hackberry seeds, vintage brass clasps and silk thread to create the piece, which was mounted on black velvet from a thrifted skirt, and framed in a custom wooden frame with domed glass from a local scientific surplus supply.
Jenny Kendler, Forget Me Not, 2020
Vintage boombox, shells, adhesive, cassette tape, and audio
Courtesy the artist, Image credit: Ryan Edmund for Goldfinch, Chicago
For Forget Me Not, the artist acquired a vintage boombox and vintage cassette on eBay, and spent over a year sustainably sourcing shells from collectors and vintage sellers. The work utilizes a hidden speaker system and laptop (carbon calculated in gallery energy use above). Rather than create a new pedestal—and to make apparent the reuse and carbon-consciousness embedded in the exhibition—the crate from Heirloom (which the artist found in an alley several years prior) was used as the pedestal for this work.
Jenny Kendler, Forget Me Not, 2020
Vintage boombox, shells, adhesive, cassette tape, and audio
Courtesy the artist, Image credit: Ryan Edmund for Goldfinch, Chicago
For Whale Bells, created in collaboration with Andrew Bearnot, the artists ordered raw glass, rope and vintage whale ear bone fossils. The rope was made by Ravenox, who utilizes vintage machinery and recycled cotton in the creation of their products. The fossils were sourced from individuals who dive for them in coastal rivers in South Carolina. The main carbon impact of this project was the energy used in the glassblowing studio, which we are not able to estimate at this time.
Jenny Kendler, Works from the Camouflage Series, 2022
Vintage porcelain birds, paperclay, pigment made from bookbinder’s glue and biocharred copies of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring
Courtesy the artist, Image credit: Ryan Edmund for Goldfinch, Chicago
For the Camouflage birds, the artist sourced vintage porcelain birds at a local auction house and from antique shops, so no significant additional carbon was used for their transport. The black paint, created from biocharred copies of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring, sequesters a small amount of carbon. The Climate Change white paint used for the other works was leftover from a prior project, as were the custom wood shelves. The plastic shelving was purchased from a family-owned business based in the US.
Summary:
It was not feasible to calculate the emissions of every element of the creation of the works (butane torch, printed silk, recycled rope etc), but the bulk of emissions most likely came from transportation of the materials, which was tracked, as follows:
39 small boxes, ground - 1 kg CO2e each
12 medium boxes, ground - 3 kgCO2e each
6 large boxes, ground - 7 kgCO2e each
4 small boxes, air - 20 kgCO2e each
1 large box, air - 100 kgCO2e each
Supplies and Materials Related Carbon: 297 kg CO2e* / .297 t CO2e
*The artist estimated the amount of materials ordered per project on a package by package basis and used the Consumer Ecology carbon calculator which calculates packages shipped by ground or air at various sizes and includes packing materials.
https://consumerecology.com/carbon-footprint-of-package-shipping-transport/
TOTAL CALCULATED EMISSIONS: 542 kilograms CO2e / 0.542 tonnes CO2e*
*For frame of reference, a one way flight from JFK to SFO emits about 1.5 tonnes CO2e
WASTE
MATERIALS
The artist was attentive to waste created during the show and did their best to track and minimize waste, focusing especially on creative reuse.
Reuse: The majority of materials used in the show were previously used. See project details above. They will continue to be reused as artworks, or in the creation of new artworks. Packing materials will be reused, including cardboard boxes and bubble wrap. The salvaged crate will be reused and when no longer needed, posted to Barder.art
Repurpose: Acrylic shelving ordered for the exhibition will be repurposed in the artist’s home and the home of a neighbor. Sand from the floor piece will be added to the artist’s daughter’s sandbox.
Recycle: Cardboard boxes which were used to ship materials were recycled. Plastics which were eligible for recycling were recycled via a local grocery plastic bag collection service. The artist acknowledges that recycling is a very imperfect system, where the majority of supposedly recycled materials end up in landfills or are sent to other countries where they become environmental pollutants and significantly harm human health. This underscores the need to eliminate single-use plastics and move towards biodegradable materials. Ultimately, the corporations turning fossil fuels into single-use plastics must themselves be held accountable.
Refused: Because recycling of plastics is deeply problematic and unreliable, plastics were refused whenever possible and reused or repurposed packing materials were requested—for example recycled packaging was requested from eBay sellers.
Landfill: Items which went to landfill were minimized, but included plastic film which wrapped the newly purchased acrylic shelving and single-use alcohol towelettes.
Storage: Additional clean packing materials were stored for reuse at the gallery and artist’s studio.
FOOD
The gallery is hosting a closing dinner in the adjacent garden, which will be plant-based, locally sourced and also feature ingredients foraged by the artist. Every effort will be made to use reusable dishware and trays and minimize waste.
Jenny Kendler, solo exhibition.
In the Shadow of the Sundial at Goldfinch, Chicago
SUPPORTING PEOPLE
All humans involved in the creation of this project, from fabricators to assistants in the glass studio to preparators, were paid a living wage and treated with dignity and respect as valued collaborators. Fabricators and material suppliers were selected with an equity lens whenever possible. Artist’s assistants employed directly in the creation of the works were paid $25–30 hourly for skilled labor.
COLLECTIVE ACTION
A drive towards encouraging collective action is the basis for the creation of this report and the artist’s work as a founding member of Artists Commit. The gallery and local collaborators were all made aware of the resources available through Artists Commit and encouraged to participate. A number of new commitments towards climate action were made as the result of this process, both on personal and institutional levels.
CREDITS
The Climate Impact Report was prepared by the artist, Jenny Kendler, based on a template available at Artists Commit. At Goldfinch, the gallery Director/Owner, Claudine Isé, and Curatorial Director, Elizabeth Lalley, supported these efforts. Many of the works from the exhibition, In the Shadow of the Sundial, were originally created for Jenny Kendler: The Long Goodbye at the MSU Broad Museum, curated by Senior Curator Steven L. Bridges. The artist’s efforts towards a sustainable practice have been supported since 2014 by NRDC, where she is artist-in-residence, and especially by their Director of Arts Partnerships, Elizabeth Corr.
Link to exhibition: https://goldfinch-gallery.com/exhibitions/54-jenny-kendler-in-the-shadow-of-the-sundial/overview/works/