Desirée Patterson: Interglacial

Desirée Patterson is a self-taught multidisciplinary artist and environmentalist born and raised in the Lower Mainland who now makes her home in Vancouver. The title of her current exhibition, Interglacial, refers to the 10,000- to 20,000-year warm spans that occur between ice ages—a scientific fact that has stood the test of time, but one that many in the scientific community now refer to as a potentially interminable condition, given the rise in global temperatures and our incessant burning of fossil fuels.

Interglacial comprises five works, including its centrepiece, Still in Place (2025), a monumental textile and sound installation Patterson developed with earth science professor Brian Menounos in Pemberton last fall. Spanning 60 feet, Still in Place consists of 90 cyanotype panels exposed directly on the surface of Place Glacier, where they captured an analogue time-lapse of glacial melt. The work’s sculptural form was achieved using LiDAR and point-cloud data, and its soundscape was sourced from Patterson’s field recordings.

Additional works are photo-based and derive from Patterson’s interest in wildfire science, ecological restoration, repeat photography, glaciology and ice-core research. For From the Ashes (2025), Patterson visited Jasper National Park following the 2024 wildfires, where she captured aerial photographs of the low-growth regeneration of the park’s vegetation. Her Spotlight on Scientists series features portraits of project collaborators Menounos, Laura Chasmer, Alison Criscitiello, Lori Daniels, Eric Higgs, Chris Hopkinson, Natalie Krizan, Shawn Marshall, Jeanine Rhemtulla and Robert Sandford. Interglacial will travel to Prince George’s Two Rivers Gallery from August to October 2027.

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