Reading Environments - Shelter Canopy

The reading this week is an excerpt from The Second Body by Daisy Hildyard, introduced by Adam Grener and paired with works by Xin Cheng and Maria Olsen.

“Every living thing has two bodies. To be an animal is to be in possession of a physical body, a body which can eat, drink and sleep; it is also to be embedded in a worldwide network of ecosystems.” - Daisy Hildyard, The Second Body, Fitzcarraldo Editions, UK, 2017 (pp.101-118).

Reading Environments is a reading group open to all, for reading, listening and thinking together. Hosted by Su Ballard (Art History), Bonnie Etherington, and Adam Grener (English Literatures and Creative Communication), Reading Environments brings together academics, students and interested members of the public to delve into and discuss current work in the Environmental Humanities that helps us navigate the changing environmental contexts of the planet.

Image: Maria Olsen, Bonestack, 1988, muslin dipped in true gesso over shaped foam painted in raw pigment mixed with Rhoplex medium, fibreglass reinforcement, Ngā Puhipuhi o Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington Art Collection, purchased 1988. Installation view Folded Memory, Te Pātaka Toi Adam Art Gallery, Te Herenga Waka—Victoria University of Wellington, 2023. Photo: Ted Whitaker.

On the occasion of the exhibition 'Folded Memory' a special series of Reading Environments | Shelter runs across five Thursday lunchtimes pairing art works from the exhibition with selected readings.

Excerpts are available by emailing adamartgallery@vuw.ac.nz