Susan Richardson: Articulate

ONCA Gallery is an exquisite, serene exhibition space, resting on the busy St Georges Place, just at the bottom of Trafalgar St. ‘Our Time In Ice’, the current exhibition, explores creative responses to the changing Arctic. ONCA’s endeavours are not only artistic, it has a resolute commitment to environmental and conservation concerns. Last Saturday ONCA welcomed Susan Richardson, who enthralled her audience with extracts from two collections of ice-focused poems and tales of their genesis. She wove saga, mythology, personal story and verse accompanied by stunning photos of her travels. ‘Creatures of the Intertidal Zone’, was inspired by a journey through Iceland, Greenland and Newfoundland in the footsteps of an intrepid eleventh century female Viking, Gudrid. Spellbinding
poems mapped the stages of life, places and landscape seen through Gudrid’s eyes. Her most recent collection, ‘Where the Air is Rarefied’, is a collaboration with visual artist Pat Gregory. Pat’s redolent prints complimented Susan’s generous, enthusiastic and poignant delivery about an Inuit Goddess, the god of the melt and investigations into extinction and the sexual politics of exploration. Richardson’s poems are evocations; they name, make real and honour, the gods, terrains and animals of the cold lands. They remind us of who we are and how we are bound. To end, we enjoyed an enticing taste of her next collection about metamorphosis and shape-shifting, including ‘Whose Afraid?’ a touching examination of masculinity.

Onca Gallery, 11 May 2013

Rating: