Often considered an indicator of spring and a metaphor for renewal, the performance of planting dahlia bulbs elaborates on the importance of care, tenderness and follow-through. Seeds do not need humans to be planted; they will spread and grow as they have for millennia. Humans need to plant seeds in order to cultivate food. By planting dahlia bulbs, this performance plays with the human desire to act upon nature. As the first gardening gesture of the year, the performance alludes to subsequent gestures: the dahlia growing, blooming and eventually returning to the soil. Emotional Garden is presented as part of Movement/Nature: Guided Exercises by Artists, an online project curated by OCADU’s Criticism and Curatorial Practice MFA program students.

 Alex Gregory is an artist-researcher whose work combines the materiality of analog techniques with digital manipulation. Born and raised in Amiskwaciy-Wâskahikan (Edmonton, AB), Alex is currently pursuing an MFA in Criticism and Curatorial Practices at OCAD University. Her thesis project consists of the curation of a digital environment that utilizes the affective qualities of physical space; the written research deconstructs the ways in which permanence and materialism are discussed and valued, as they intersect with the digital. In 2017, she graduated from The Pacific Northwest College of Art (PNCA) in Portland, OR, with a BFA in Communication Design. Alex has also worked as a Digital Designer for a variety of corporate companies. Additionally, her design work has been featured in She Shreds Magazine, Bitch Media and SAD Mag.