Catriona Donald
she/they
Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK
Catriona Donald is a Scottish artist and traditionally trained goldsmith currently living and working in Leeds. Her current work explores the intersection of queer ecologies, ecofeminism and craft.
“My artwork explores the profound and sensual relationship between nature, material and the body. I do so though the perspective of love, care and interconnectedness. My wearable pieces embody a conscious choice - materiality centring the symbiosis of the living world, ecosystems and landscapes. Working with a wide range found and foraged materials, I aim to question what is precious and what holds inherent value. My work is an interrogation of our damaging reliance and abuse of the delicate structures that nurture us.”
“In my work, my choice of material is central to my expression of queerness. My queerness expands beyond my sexuality and into my relationship with the natural world. By choosing to use natural found materials in my work, I am rejecting the patriarchal, capitalist and colonialist exploitation and growing dependance on natural resources including precious metals and rare earth elements, which are then marketed back to us as a symbol of love and luxury. We need to reimagine what is precious. We are and have always been inseparable and inextricably bound to the natural world. It is imperative to view our relationship with the natural world through a queer lens - one of love, empathy, reciprocation, care and interconnectedness - if we are to avoid falling further into climate and ecological collapse.
The weaved dandelion stem chain used in my piece ‘Lion’s Teeth’ aims to evoke an ancient and innate intimacy between nature and the body. Dandelion is used here as a symbol of resistance, resilience and transformation."
What does being queer mean to you in relation to your material choices? Is it something you consider?
"Lion's Teeth", Bronze, dandelion stem, 9.4"x 6.7", 2024“In my work, it is both the subject matter and the maker that is queer. I have used dandelion in my piece as a natural material but also to tell a dynamic story in bronze. Although every part of the dandelion is edible and has been used in herbalism and mystic practices for generations, it is widely regarded as an invasive weed. The dandelion is destroyed by poisons and chemical weed killer in preference of homogenous, manicured lawns. It is in a constant battle between growth and eradication. In its flowering stage the dandelion is a vibrant yellow orb which bends and nods towards the sun during the day and closes in on itself in the darkness. When the plant goes to seed, it explodes into a new form like a firework. My artwork illustrates the dandelion in these different phases of metamorphosis and transition, representing the queer struggle to be seen, accepted and celebrated.
Dandelion - dents de lion - lion’s teeth. The plant with the joy of the sun and the strength of the lion that will continue to transform, grow and shine brightly against the odds."
Is the work queer because the maker is queer, or is it queer because the subject matter is queer?
Anything else you would like to share about this work? This can be an important part of the process, sourcing materials, or research.
“The dandelion stem chain is made from hand foraged plants after they had gone to seed. The stems were dried over a period of months and hand weaved into a rope cord to hang the bronze medallion."