Jack Pine

tree,motor,stainless steel,urethane,plexiglas,light. 22' l x 8' h x 6' w, 2001

This work was the first commission for the vitrine space for the opening of the new Art Gallery of Windsor building. The vitrine window is visible from outside the gallery to pedestrians and passing traffic along the street. The tree, supported on two steel stands, rotates at 1rpm. The catalyst of the idea was observations of storefront displays of meat rotating on skewers in restaurants or being displayed in butcher shops. The similarly titled work by artist Tom Thomson was a study in nature and natural forces. My desire is to revisit the subject from a different perspective; to cause the viewer on the outside to be confronted by a view through the familiar storefront venue. This is the jack pine; captured, butchered, skewered and cooked for human consumption.

"...The title, Jack Pine, plays off the famous painting of the same name by Tom Thomson. Ed Janzen revisits the subject of natural forces from a different perspective. Here, the symbolic tree has been deracinated from its natural environment. According to Janzen, "this work is a continuation of my exploration into the push-pull forces that occur between consumerism and conservation."
- Helga Pakasaar, Curator of Contemporary Art, Art Gallery of Windsor.