[BCMA] The Reach presents Interglacial by Vancouver-based environmental artist and advocate Desirée Patterson

Tue Jul 28 00:00:09 UTC 2026

[cid:2603e473-1720-4056-8f7a-5dbb4a528f04]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

The Reach presents Interglacial by environmental artist and advocate Desir¨¦e Patterson

Patterson aims to inspire climate hope and strengthen confidence in science with five ambitious new works developed with leading environmental researchers

ABBOTSFORD, BC ¡ª The Reach Gallery Museum presents Interglacial, a major new exhibition by Vancouver-based multidisciplinary visual artist and environmentalist Desir¨¦e Patterson, on view July 11, 2026¨CMarch 20, 2027. The exhibition examines the present as a critical moment in history, one in which the global climate crisis puts the future well-being of our planet in the balance. Patterson will present five ambitious new bodies of work, developed in close collaboration with eminent Canadian glaciologists, forest scientists, and climate policy advisors.

¡°We are proud to collaborate with Desir¨¦e Patterson on such a timely and relevant exhibition,¡± says Kelley Tialiou, Curator of Art & Visual Culture at The Reach. ¡°For the first time in history, research shows that we may never see another ice age and instead are facing an interminable interglacial, or warmer period, defined by the end of an ice age and the beginning of the next. Ice ages are a part of the planet¡¯s natural cycle of regeneration ¡ª in fact, the Fraser Valley basin was only formed at the end of the last one. Patterson¡¯s work examines both glaciers and forests, both giants of nature that have become equally endangered, fragile, and interdependent in the face of the ongoing climate crisis. Interglacial is an invitation to immerse ourselves in the beauty of the natural landscape, admire the resilience of the earth, and deepen our commitment to the stewardship of these lands.¡±

In March 2025, Patterson was appointed Artist in Residence with the UN¡¯s International Year for Glaciers¡¯ Preservation. Through this affiliation, Patterson worked with several leading Canadian environmental scientists with expertise in glaciology, climatology, and forest ecology. The result was a series of lens-based and lensless images in which Patterson translated scientific data into immersive aesthetic experiences. She presented a preview of this new series of work at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris in March 2026, during the celebrations for World Day for Glaciers.

Patterson says: ¡°Growing up in British Columbia, I was fascinated from a young age by the omnipresent mountains and glacial landscapes. Now, as an artist, glaciers are central to my practice, not only as subject matter, but as a way to bridge environmental science with embodied, sensory experience. The way I create has fundamentally shifted due to my collaborations with scientific partners. This is in part due to having access to materials like datasets, including remote sensing methods like LiDAR, point cloud imaging, and long-term glaciological records, which I then translate into visual language and spatial experience. Also, accompanying researchers directly into the environments they study has opened my eyes to the depth of expertise, physical rigour, and logistical complexity of their work.¡±

The centrepiece of Interglacial is Still in Place, a monumental suspended textile and sound installation. Patterson developed the work last fall with Dr. Brian Menounos at Place Glacier near Pemberton, BC, one of approximately 12,000 glaciers projected to vanish by the end of this century. Spanning 60 feet, Still in Place offers multi-sensory, embodied experiences of the glacier through visual, tactile, and aural components. The work consists of 100 cyanotype panels, exposed directly on Place Glacier¡¯s surfaces, capturing an analogue timelapse of glacial melt. Patterson and Menounos used LiDAR and point cloud data to inform the work¡¯s sculptural form, which echoes the contours of Place Glacier. As visitors move beneath and through the installation, they encounter a soundscape drawn from Patterson¡¯s field recordings that encourages them to envision different environmental conditions and experience different moods.

Also on view will be a number of photo-based works that draw from wildfire science, ecological restoration, repeat photography, glaciology, and ice core research. In Coexistence (2025), Patterson captured medium-format aerial photographs of Jasper National Park following 2024¡¯s devastating wildfires. In the work, low-growth vegetation can be seen slowly regenerating, highlighting the duality of nature¡¯s fragility and resiliency. The Spotlight on Scientists series features glaciologists, forest scientists, and climate policy advisors that Patterson collaborated with for the exhibition: Dr. Alison Criscitiello, Dr. Lori Daniels, Dr. Eric Higgs, Natalie Krizan, Dr. Shawn Marshall, Dr. Brian Menounos, Dr. Jeanine Rhemtulla, and Robert Sandford.

Desir¨¦e Patterson is a Vancouver-based artist whose multidisciplinary practice is rooted deeply in the discipline of photography. Born and raised in the Lower Mainland, her aesthetic vision is closely tied to the province¡¯s mountainous and glacial landscapes, explored through independent research and scientific collaboration. A self-taught artist, she has shaped her approach through solo travels to more than 40 countries, experiences that fostered the ecological consciousness central to her work. She is drawn to art¡¯s capacity to bridge research and public imagination, extending photography beyond representation into installation and lived encounter.

Her work has been shown in several group and solo exhibitions, including, most recently, the solo exhibition Anomaly (2023) at Ferry Building Gallery (West Vancouver) and the group exhibitions Tip of the Iceberg (2021) at Two Rivers Gallery (Prince George); the Emerge 10th Anniversary Exhibition (2024¨C25) at The Reach; and Unbound | Part II: CICA Vancouver x Jelina Couture 2024 International Art Awards Exhibition (2025) at the Centre of International Contemporary Art, Vancouver. Over the last decade, major public art projects by Patterson have been commissioned by TransLink (Anthropocene: the Present I, 2019), BC Children¡¯s Hospital (Fauna, 2016), the City of Richmond (Visions of Biophilia, 2024) and the City of Abbotsford (Unus cum Viribus Duorum, forthcoming 2026), among others.

Interglacial will travel to Two Rivers Gallery from August¨COctober 2027 and is subsequently available to tour to additional venues.

Generously supported by the Audain Foundation

About The Reach Gallery Museum
Established in 2008, The Reach Gallery Museum is an award-winning hub of cultural activity in Abbotsford, BC. As a public art gallery, The Reach presents a dynamic series of exhibitions, public art projects, and educational programs for audiences of all ages and backgrounds, circulates exhibitions to venues across Canada, fosters artistic development at all career stages, and builds community through creativity in Abbotsford, across the Fraser Valley, and beyond. As a local archive and history museum, The Reach plays a vital role in preserving, disseminating, and pluralizing community history through digitization projects, research support, and educator resources.

Gallery hours
Tuesday: 10am¨C8pm
Wednesday, Thursday, Friday: 10am¨C5pm
Saturday: 12pm¨C5pm
Sunday, Monday and Holidays: Closed

Address
32388 Veterans Way, Abbotsford, BC, V2T 0B3

Social media
Facebook: @TheReachGalleryMuseum
Instagram: @thereachgallery

Press contact
Ines Min
+1 604 440 0791
ines at inesmin.com

Curatorial contact
Kelley Tialiou
+1 604 746 5367
ktialiou at thereach.ca

Kelley Tialiou
Curator of Art & Visual Culture, The Reach Gallery Museum
The Reach is located in St¨®:l¨ T¨¦m:¨¦xw, on the unceded territory of M¨¢thxwi First Nation and Sem¨¢:th First Nation.

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