Arctic Dream: Narwhal Art Fund

Nathalie Grice is organizing this fundraiser.

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Hi there, my name is Nathalie Grice and I'm an Ottawa-based artist. My sculptural works explore the lines between the natural and the artificial as a means to question prevalent contemporary cultural and social trends.

I need help with my next creation.
A couple of years ago, I got a chance to visit Sirimilik National Park.

There I went to see the narwhals on a boat called the Arctic King Polar Bear and Narwhal Safari. There were guests on that boat from all over the world They were envisioning these creatures jumping out of the water while battling with their tusks as seen on television . But narwhals being narwhals they floated just underneath the surface of the water. A few of the guests complained that they didn't do tricks and were beligerant towards the tourguide who was Inuit. I found this disturbing but it also inspired me to create this piece.

I will be creating two life-size Narwhal sculptures in a high-impact, larger than life celebration of these stunning creatures and a subsequent nod to the remarkable wildlife in our heritage.

Arctic Dream
Concept
An 8 ft x 8ft realistic sculpture of two narwhals tusking, while bioluminescent butterfly snails flow around them. Around the hole will be ice and snow intermixed with galena crystal octahedron, natural to the Arctic. On the larger narwhal, a tattoo of an Inuit woman whose hair is entangled around the tusk inferring Inuit folklore of the narwhals.

The tusks are copies of ones that are owned by the

Museum of Nature.

Materials used in this sculpture are:

- styroform

- polymer clay

- resin

- glitter

- glow in the dark mould powder

Arctic Dream will acknowledge to the folklore surrounding Narwhal hunting practices, while also examining contemporary tourist culture and our changing relationship with this animal and the larger natural environment. I believe that through this unique outreach opportunity I can help new audiences gain a more profound understanding of special areas like Sirmilik National Park. In this way, the narwhals will reach the broadest possible audience and become a focal point for locals and tourists alike. The sculptures will house a recorded performance by Ottawa-based Inuit throat singer Charlotte Qamaniq . Her throat singing will be audible only to those in close proximity to the sculpture.

Fortunately, the Canadian Museum of Nature and granted access to the Research and Collections Facility and an actual Narwhal specimen. This opportunity gave me the privilege of being able to take measurements and casts of an actual specimen. This has helped me to be able to start building Arctic Dream.

A Little Bit About Me

I have a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree from the Ontario College of Art and a Bachelor of Education degree from the University of Ottawa. I work as an Instructor at the Ottawa School of Art where I teach classes in painting and sculpture. Also I'm an active member of the outreach program at Operation Come Home. For two years I was one of sixrecipients to receive a grant from the City of Ottawa/Crime Prevention to complete mural projects with homeless youth.

My Previous Work- La Forêt des Folies
My previous work has frequently involved the disjoint between the natural and the built environment. Installations like La Forêt des Folies incorporated animal forms with mores of graffiti and situated the Canadian wildlife into the urban landscape. By placing the taxidermy forms alongside counter-cultural aesthetics, I was working through ideas of rebellion and projecting an animal uprising- an adaptation to our increasing encroachment on their environment.
You can see my whole portfolio on my website.

Why crowdfund for Arctic Dream?

Even though I have begun there is still a long way to go and I need your help!
I have given myself a deadline of June 2017 to finish this installation so I can display Arctic Dream and the Museum of Nature in Ottawa for thier Nature Nocturne on June 30th.

Here's a breakdown of what the $15,000 goes towards!