La Seigneurie

Patterson Webster
La Seigneurie 2019–ongoing
Canola, barley, flax, oats, red clover seeds, wrought iron
Collection of the artist

This installation is composed of farm crops planted in long narrow strips that recall the system of land division common during Quebec’s French colonial period. With this planting pattern, the artist recognizes an important part of Quebec and Canada’s history, one that continues to influence political life in the country to this day. A simple wrought-iron signpost and decorative wrought-iron gates made by local artist and blacksmith Justine Southam mark the entry to a field that is in a constant state of change, reflecting how natural processes affect the land with or without human intervention.