The Coil in Japan

  Part of The Coil: A History in Four Parts

The Coil had explored home territory, had crossed the country to the Pacific coast, and had navigated her way from the wet Atlantic to the ancient dry seabed of Alberta. Her journey to Japan took her into a different culture, a different fishing history, a very different set of islands – from East to Farther East – looking for connections. Supported for the first time by a small grant from The Canada Council for The Arts, and support from Nichiro Corporation in Tokyo, Hall undertook site work in and around Tokyo and on the island of Kyushu. She returned early in 1994 to install and open the first exhibition of The Coil:a history in four parts, at the Art Gallery of the Canadian Embassy in Tokyo.

Seeing all the “chapters” of the story together in one place for the first time, brought closure to The Coil’s brief and ephemeral life on the land. The exhibition toured Canada, and was purchased by the National Gallery of Canada in 1995.

The Biographical Notes

There were 12 Biographical Notes created reflecting the Japanese work – three each representing the wharf, the beach, the garden and the sacred temple. The were all 30″×44″ in dimension, and seemed oddly “conclusive” – indeed – seemed like the final chapter in the process, the journey and the story The Coil and the artist had been undertaking together. Click the images for larger versions.