DEBORAH CARRUTHERS
  • Home
    • Artist Statement
    • Bio
  • Exhibitions / Residencies/Performances
    • Exhibitions ... Now You See Me... >
      • What Remains Unexplained 2.0: The Endpoint Collective
      • Beyond the Stone Angel: artists reflect on the death of their parents, MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan, October 2021- February 2022 >
        • More About ​Safe Passage
        • More About the Paintings ...
      • Announcing the Coming of the Sun, Adjacent to Life Gallery, New York, New York, USA , 2021
      • The Aura of the Already Said - Zygote Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio - 2019
      • Souvenir / Souvenir - Montréal, Québec 2017 >
        • Souvenir / Souvenir - Press
        • Souvenir / Souvenir - Essay ​Culte du Souvenir
        • Souvenir / Souvenir: About the Exhibition ...
        • Souvenir / Souvenir : Invitation card
    • Performances ... Once Upon a Time ... >
      • Ecstacies of Influence - Le Gesù, Amphithéâtre -Montréal - December 2018
      • slippages - The UBC Symphony Orchestra - Chan Centre - Vancouver - October 2018 >
        • slippages - Press
        • slippages - Instructions for play and score
        • slippages in the Studio: About my process >
          • slippages Athabasca -Photographs
          • slippages Immense Immensities
          • slippages Notebook
          • slippages Athabasca Painting
        • slippages - Performance Videos
    • Residencies ... Home Away From Home ... >
      • Ecstasies of Influence : matralab, Concordia University - Montréal 2018 >
        • Ecstacies of Influence - December 16, 2018 - Le Gesù, Amphithéâtre - Montréal
      • The Past Sealed Away - Peter Wall Institute Artist in Residence - Vancouver, BC 2017 - 2018 >
        • The Past Sealed Away... Article
      • What's in a Song ? Between the Song and the Silence: Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity, Banff, Alberta 2017
      • In The Hole - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 2017
      • A Ubiquity of Sparrows : Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity, Banff, Alberta 2016 >
        • A Ubiquity of Sparrows : Banff Installation
  • Graphic Scores
    • reading between the lines - 2022
    • safe passage - 2021 >
      • safe passage: Graphic Score for Canoe Installation
    • slippages - 2018 >
      • slippages - Press
      • slippages - Instructions for play and score
      • slippages in the Studio: About my process >
        • slippages Athabasca -Photographs
        • slippages Immense Immensities
        • slippages Notebook
        • slippages Athabasca Painting
      • slippages - Performance Videos
    • Between the Song and the Silence: Berlin 2017 - 2021 >
      • Between the Song and the Silence: Graphic Score- Studies for Hobrechtsfelde Iteration
      • Between the Song and the Silence: Graphic Score- Banff Iteration
      • My Muses
      • What's in a Name?
      • Taking Flight ... The Process
      • Swan Song... A summary of my process for my MFA research
  • Portfolio
    • Mortsaf for My Father : the Series ... >
      • Mortsaf for My Father : the Paintings ...
      • Mortsaf for My Father: ​Safe Passage
    • Allegory for a New Ice Age ... Photographs
    • The Past Sealed Away ... Painting
    • The Past Sealed Away... Prints
    • The Past sealed Away: Athabasca - Photographs
    • Immense Immensities Miniature Watercolours
    • In The Hole
    • Souvenir sacré
    • Souvenir sacré - Opasatika
    • Fleurs sacrées
    • Mortsaf
    • Genetics for Cowboys
    • Beautiful Ghosts
    • Niagara Tondos
    • Twinned
  • C V
  • Contact

Genetics for Cowboys

In 2003, a cow in a Canadian herd was discovered to have had bovine spongiform encephalopathy (BSE), commonly known as mad cow disease. This resulted in the preventative slaughter, mandated by the government, of 900,000 cattle. Ranchers maintain that this number was closer to 1.3 million, and that this increase was due to the plummeting price for beef. For example, feeder cattle (think hamburger) that sold for an average of $1,500.00 per head fell to $15.00. At that price, ranchers could no longer afford to feed their cattle, and even herds not mandated to be slaughtered were culled. Many ranchers talked of being present for the entire duration of the cull, which for herds numbering in the thousands could take several days. They talked of it being their responsibility, many clearly emotional years later. One rancher had tears on his face when he talked about euthanizing his prize show and exhibition bulls. 

BSE has led to drastic changes in the way that ranchers manage their herds. These changes demand an exponentially greater knowledge of science and technology than before, and the costs are both psychological and economic. Genetics for cowboys is not just about coat colour anymore.

This installation was developed during a residency at the University of Calgary. It includes a suite of twenty-nine paintings of abstracted cattle-coat colours, representing the number of cattle in the BSE test herd. Each painting is tagged with an authentic Canadian Agriculture radio frequency identification (RFID) tag which would normally be used to tag the ears of cattle. My “herd” of paintings has been registered with Agriculture Canada as a “herd for show and exhibition purposes only”.

The photographs arose from documentation in the initial research phase of this project; these were taken at the Olds Auction Mart in Olds Alberta, one of the largest cattle auction rings in Canada, and one of the largest in North America.
Genetics for Cowboys : Olds, Alberta - 

​The sound piece Genetics for Cowboys: Olds, Alberta was created from recordings made in the Olds auction rings. After the auctions, the “callers “were invited into the ring to “call out” some facts and figures on BSE-related topics which were then integrated into the original auction recordings. The finished piece has seamlessly woven into it comments on coat colour, vaccines, cattle culls, etc.


​Click play below to hear a sample of the installation audio track.
Installation Views
WARC Gallery, Toronto, Ontario 2012
WARC Gallery, Toronto, Ontario 2012 View with Radio Frequency ID cattle tags
WARC Gallery, Toronto, Ontario 2012 View of Radio Frequency ID cattle tags
Paintings
Genetics for Cowboys No.2 , 2012 , 10” x 10” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.3, 2012, 12” x 12” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.4, 2012, 12” x 12” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.5, 2012, 12” x 12” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.6, 2012, 12” x 12” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.7, 2012, 10” x 10” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.9, 2012, 10” x 10” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.10, 2012, 18” x 18” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.11 , 2012, 18” x 18” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.12 , 2012, 24” x 24” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.13 , 2012, 24” x 24” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.14 , 2012, 24” x 24” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.15 , 2012, 36” x 36” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.16, 2012, 36” x 36” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.19 , 2012, 40” x 40” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.23, 2012, 22” x 22” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.24, 2012, 22” x 22” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.25, 2012, 30” x 30” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.26 , 2012, 12” x 12” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.27, 2012, 12” x 12” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.27, 2012, 12” x 12” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Genetics for Cowboys No.29, 2012, 10” x 10” Acrylic on canvas, Canadian Cattle Identification Program radio frequency ID tag (RFID tag)
Photography
Genetics for Cowboys : Pale Red Black Brindle Dilute , 2009 - 2012, 12" x 20", Giclée on moab300
Genetics for Cowboys : Standing Firm No.1, 2010-2012, 30" x 43", Giclée on moab300
Genetics for Cowboys : Standing Firm No.3, 2010-2012, 30" x 43", Giclée on moab300
Genetics for Cowboys : Standing Firm No.4, 2010-2012, 30" x 43", Giclée on moab300
Genetics for Cowboys : Standing Firm No.5, 2010-2012, 30" x 43", Giclée on moab300
Genetics for Cowboys : Standing Firm No.6, 2010-2012, 30" x 43", Giclée on moab300
Genetics for Cowboys : Standing Firm No.8, 2010-2012, 30" x 43", Giclée on moab300
​ We acknowledge the support of the Canada Council for the Arts.
Nous remercions le Conseil des Arts du Canada de son soutien.
Picture
  • Home
    • Artist Statement
    • Bio
  • Exhibitions / Residencies/Performances
    • Exhibitions ... Now You See Me... >
      • What Remains Unexplained 2.0: The Endpoint Collective
      • Beyond the Stone Angel: artists reflect on the death of their parents, MacKenzie Art Gallery, Regina, Saskatchewan, October 2021- February 2022 >
        • More About ​Safe Passage
        • More About the Paintings ...
      • Announcing the Coming of the Sun, Adjacent to Life Gallery, New York, New York, USA , 2021
      • The Aura of the Already Said - Zygote Gallery, Cleveland, Ohio - 2019
      • Souvenir / Souvenir - Montréal, Québec 2017 >
        • Souvenir / Souvenir - Press
        • Souvenir / Souvenir - Essay ​Culte du Souvenir
        • Souvenir / Souvenir: About the Exhibition ...
        • Souvenir / Souvenir : Invitation card
    • Performances ... Once Upon a Time ... >
      • Ecstacies of Influence - Le Gesù, Amphithéâtre -Montréal - December 2018
      • slippages - The UBC Symphony Orchestra - Chan Centre - Vancouver - October 2018 >
        • slippages - Press
        • slippages - Instructions for play and score
        • slippages in the Studio: About my process >
          • slippages Athabasca -Photographs
          • slippages Immense Immensities
          • slippages Notebook
          • slippages Athabasca Painting
        • slippages - Performance Videos
    • Residencies ... Home Away From Home ... >
      • Ecstasies of Influence : matralab, Concordia University - Montréal 2018 >
        • Ecstacies of Influence - December 16, 2018 - Le Gesù, Amphithéâtre - Montréal
      • The Past Sealed Away - Peter Wall Institute Artist in Residence - Vancouver, BC 2017 - 2018 >
        • The Past Sealed Away... Article
      • What's in a Song ? Between the Song and the Silence: Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity, Banff, Alberta 2017
      • In The Hole - Saskatoon, Saskatchewan 2017
      • A Ubiquity of Sparrows : Banff Centre for the Arts and Creativity, Banff, Alberta 2016 >
        • A Ubiquity of Sparrows : Banff Installation
  • Graphic Scores
    • reading between the lines - 2022
    • safe passage - 2021 >
      • safe passage: Graphic Score for Canoe Installation
    • slippages - 2018 >
      • slippages - Press
      • slippages - Instructions for play and score
      • slippages in the Studio: About my process >
        • slippages Athabasca -Photographs
        • slippages Immense Immensities
        • slippages Notebook
        • slippages Athabasca Painting
      • slippages - Performance Videos
    • Between the Song and the Silence: Berlin 2017 - 2021 >
      • Between the Song and the Silence: Graphic Score- Studies for Hobrechtsfelde Iteration
      • Between the Song and the Silence: Graphic Score- Banff Iteration
      • My Muses
      • What's in a Name?
      • Taking Flight ... The Process
      • Swan Song... A summary of my process for my MFA research
  • Portfolio
    • Mortsaf for My Father : the Series ... >
      • Mortsaf for My Father : the Paintings ...
      • Mortsaf for My Father: ​Safe Passage
    • Allegory for a New Ice Age ... Photographs
    • The Past Sealed Away ... Painting
    • The Past Sealed Away... Prints
    • The Past sealed Away: Athabasca - Photographs
    • Immense Immensities Miniature Watercolours
    • In The Hole
    • Souvenir sacré
    • Souvenir sacré - Opasatika
    • Fleurs sacrées
    • Mortsaf
    • Genetics for Cowboys
    • Beautiful Ghosts
    • Niagara Tondos
    • Twinned
  • C V
  • Contact