Bio:
I am an artist-activist, researcher and educator in Vancouver, located on the unceded, traditional and ancestral territories of the Coast Salish people, including the xʷməθkʷəy̓əm (Musqueam), Sḵwx̱wú7mesh Úxwumixw (Squamish), and səl̓ilw̓ətaʔɬ (Tsleil-Waututh) First Nations, as well as the unceded traditional territories of nonhuman animals and plantlife including bears, deer, raccoons, eagles, ravens, crows, hummingbirds, cedar, fir, salal and others.
My multispecies studio called Animal Lover explores more-than-human creativity to develop kinships with local lifeforms and ecologies. I have a PhD from Simon Fraser University, and am Associate Professor in the Audain Faculty of Art, Emily Carr University of Art + Design where I teach New Media + Sound Arts, and Critical Studies courses. One of my favourite things to do is hiking with my canine companions Zorra and Heroe, paying attention to the liveliness of the animals, trees and plants, and Earth forces. I am currently working on creative co-productions with birds (Bird Park Survival Station), and sound art experiences within old-growth forest ecologies (Branching Songs). My new book is Lessons from a Multispecies Art Studio: Uncovering Ecological Understanding & Biophilia Through Creative Reciprocity. Intellect Books, 2021.
contact: jandreyev @ ecuad.ca
Artist statement:
I am dedicated to the broad cultural transformation in thought and action that must take place during the climate emergency If we are to move towards a future of holistic planetary survival. This transformation includes an acknowledgment of human embeddedness in the natural systems of the Earth, and new kinships with nonhumans modeled on respect and care. My art explores interspecies methods to investigate ethics of ecologization and kinship with nonhuman lifeforms. The projects incorporate knowledges from ecology, cognitive ethology, critical animal studies, ecofeminism and indigenous methodologies, to create expanded human attention towards nonhuman creativity. I engage an ethics of respect in each encounter with other beings. I’m interested in the development of multi-species technologies to support noninvasive creative collaboration. So far, my collaborative art outcomes are in the forms of new media installations, sound art, immersive projects, performances and relational art.
I believe that change is best addressed in my local communities. With this in mind, I investigate creativity with nonhuman life close to my home with the intention to generate deep knowledge with the land and multispecies communities. This work involves taking action against unsustainable practices such as pipelines and other fossil fuel projects, over-logging and habitat destruction. I’m committed to the changes needed for an ecologically-minded future.