Miri Chek

Work   About   Contact   Press





Nids de poule 
2021The end of March - into the beginning of April - is a time when water moves faster on the surface of the streets and seeps deeper into the ground.  Temperatures rise at day, the soil thaws in the light and freezes back at night. During this slow ending of winter and  approaching  spring, the streets start to reveal themselves beneath the layers of snow; the air becomes misty and gray. The asphalt retains the marks of: moving water, the small footsteps of a squirrel, the impact residue of an accident, a piece of heavy equipment falling off a truck, a cigarette butt that touched  the mouth of a joyful person, a torn plastic bag imprisoned in a crack. So much dust, debris, matter. 

The collection of specimens in this body of work are casts of potholes and cracks in the streets of  Tiohtiá:ke  Mooniyang  Montreal, harvested over the course of three years, usually between February and April. This work is an ongoing open-ended experiment through which I enter into conversation with materials, textures and forms, between making and listening. 

Potholes and cracks in the asphalt or cement are a unique phenomenon in northern climates, especially in areas where there is a lot of traffic. Due to the weight of vehicles, well-worn asphalt develops small cracks through which rainwater can penetrate. The water accumulates and is then soaked up by the gravel and the sand that reinforces the asphalt from underneath. When the water freezes, it expands and therefore creates cracks and holes in the supporting bed which respectively enlarge the cracks in the asphalt. The cycle of freezing -thawing -cracking is significantly amplified due to the use of salt for melting the ice on the streets. Salt makes water thaw faster because it's freezing point is higher. This means that, by using salt, there is more movement between liquid and frozen states of water. This cycle is particularly present in Spring because the  fluctuations in temperature below and above the freezing point are more frequent.

Publication







 Installation view at MFA Gallery Concordia University, 2021. Photo Credit: Paul Litheland




Installtion view at Quai 5160, Masion de la culture Verdun, 2020Photo credit: Nina Varomen 





Prev