Thirteen Moons Exhibit @ Carriage Barn Arts Center

A Rules-Based Installation Project by Cynthia MacCollum

The exhibit takes visitors on the artist’s unique journey through 2020-2021, as experienced on walks in the New Canaan Nature Center, and guided by the cycles of the thirteen moons. For each moon cycle MacCollum adopted a unique set of parameters and made twenty-four visits to the New Canaan Nature Center.

For example, during Hunter Moon she collected specimens at the Nature Center, then drew the specimens on a rice paper scroll, noting the place and time. For Corn Moon, audio recordings made during each hour are compiled and played as ambient sound in the gallery. A variety of artistic mediums and scientific methods are employed to transport visitors and simulate the artist’s experience. Project research material and sketchbooks are displayed in vitrines, along with natural specimens and journals recording the artist’s thoughts. The exact moment when the rule was followed has been assiduously recorded, so that every piece in the exhibit is marked with time stamp.

The cycle of the moon has been used for thousands of years to organize time,” says MacCollum. “In this period of cultural dislocation from natural rhythms, in particular the chaos of 2020, I found solace and structure in syncing my life and practice to the cycle of the moon.” The project began at the height of the pandemic while under quarantine with the full moon on May 7, 2020, and follows thirteen moons through 2021: Flower, Strawberry, Buck, Sturgeon, Corn, Harvest, Hunter, Beaver, Cold, Wolf, Snow, Worm, and Pink Moon.