Defying Categorization: The Layered Impressions of Bark

Defying Categorization: The Layered Impressions of Bark 

Written by Yang Lim

On display at The Westin Hotel in The Works Art and Design Festival this year, mixed media sculpture artist Dustin Coulson’s series Of Bark & Bane examines the adverse impact of human society upon the natural environment as well as the shifting and, at times, contentious relationship that exists between them. Created throughout 2024 and 2025 with ethically harvested materials, his works incorporates birch bark that has been sourced from dead trees, along with human-made materials such as cement, brass, and glass from local Edmonton vendors. His works address the relationship between humans and nature with care and sensitivity by acknowledging the natural environment as intrinsically important while subjected to the increasing encroachment of human society.