Performance and handmade tools, 2020
Didactic
Hunt of the Wolf
Branches, grass blades, cattails, sharpened rocks, wildflowers
I am gifting you a bow, arrow, and two spears with the promise that under my wing, you will learn the mastery of the hunt. I embody the paleolithic hunter as I teach you to master the art yourself. Eventually you will not need me anymore, and on that day, you will be gifted my beloved Crown of the Wolf, symbolizing your dominance over the food chain with your expert skill.
Form, material, production and description
My promise was heavily influenced by the common phrase, “give a man a fish and you feed him for a day; teach a man to fish and you feed him for life.” I chose to create a bow, arrow, spears and crown because I wanted to create tools that would make this promise possible. Therefore, by teaching the man how to hunt, and promising to do so, I am promising him a lifetime of success and nourishment. The materials chosen were found in Linear Park in East Rochester, New York, a local wooded park in which a stream flows. I felt as though this location was the best choice as its density and abundance were what I imagined I’d be hunting in. The materials chosen were branches, wildflowers, sharpened rocks, and blades of grass. Production consisted of finding branches of appropriate length, sharpening rocks with other rocks, and binding the tools together with grass as well as weaving wildflowers for the crown.
Douglas B. Connard 