RESERVOIR

Paige’s current series called Reservoir is now available at Lawson-Fenning in Los Angeles. This series at its surface looks at how we manage and preserve water. Her movements between LA and Colorado, tracing the watershed from one to the other, watching the levels change over time; entranced her and led to a deeper dive into what language we use, “When we talk about water we are talking about the feminine” she realized.

This series is about witnessing the language that we use when we talk about our planet, which is mostly water. Collectively we refer to earth as Gaia or Mother Earth, nature at some level is defined by feminine pronouns. So it begs the question: How have we treated women and continue to treat women, or things that are feminine? They have been devalued, subjugated, manipulated, and exploited. Our forefathers established a relationship to nature by wanting to bend it to their will, control it and overall use it towards their ends. When I say our forefathers, I mean the patriarchial-industrial machine. Because who profits from all of these naturally occurring resources, like water?

Water rights are complicated but you know who owns most of the water rights in America, men. Why? Partly because women couldn’t buy land until 1974, and to have “rights” to water you have to buy land. It is hard to get in on the water game when land was purchased and “grandfathered” in. A perfect example of sexism in our language; you couldn’t grandmother it in, land passed through male heirs. Everything passed by women, like water, to men. So when we talk about water we are talking about the exploitation of the feminine. When we talk about nature and resources we are seeing something unbalanced. These Reservoirs are the container I have created to hold this difficult conversation.

Our twinning together, of the feminine and the natural world is an interesting puzzle. Why don’t we refer to it in a neutral pronoun or even a masculine? Father Nature? This is from an article by Sarah Milner-Barry “The term “Mother Nature,” then, although it arose from spiritually rich traditions, has come to represent the twinned exploitation of all that patriarchal society considers to be inferior to men. As such, both are expected to be perpetually available to them, and to be accepting and accommodating of their desires. As long as the reason for gendered oppression is rooted in women’s apparent closeness to nature, this kind of rhetoric provides another reason to view both women and the Earth as existing on an unequal plane with men.”

The value in referring to earth as ‘it’ with no sexist pronoun attachment makes sense, it removes the linkage of women and nature, while attempting to rectify the centuries long sexism that perpetuates the subjugation and exportation of both. But I have positive connotations to referring to the earth as feminine, because I extol the virtues, power, value, and gift of femininity; and therefore nature. There is a masculine conversation happening that is drowning out and extending the exploitive treatment of both women(or anyone considered inferior) and nature, because it benefits someone fiscally to devalue it.

So I created a soft ceramic container to explore their linkage. Unlinking them may help to uplift the feminine and balance the polarities or it may make the earth even more object, but not neutral. Let’s hold space for the fact that this linkage is important, that it is necessary for the conversation to deepen and change around how we talk about the world, how we treat it and the life givers of this plane. I do believe that as women and anything seen as less than the patriachal, are treated better so too is the earth, and vice versus.

The language is linked at the moment, there is an opportunity to address the fact that something is out of balance, the environmental system and society at large is suffering from this imbalance and seeking wholeness. Will unlinking create the balance and equality? Or will empowering the feminine even more create the balance and equality society and the environment needs to heal? There are many ways to create change, I don’t ultimately care which way it gets done, just that it does.

To this end, reservoir has many meanings one is, ”a supply or source of something.” I imagine the hollowed out space being filled with whatever it is we most need to face the coming backlash from our growing empowerment, empathy, value, and freedom. The pendulum is swinging, it will take effort to bring it into balance and equality for all.

A small nibble of Paige Stewart’s Thoughts on the series Reservoir

ARTICLES of Interest:

The Term “Mother Nature” reinforces the idea that women and nature should be subjugated” by Sarah Milner-Barry

Should we Retire “Mother Earth” by Eve Wetlaufer