William Cordova featured in Walden, revisited at the deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Lincoln, MA, October 31, 2014 – April 26, 2015.

Walden, revisited features works by contemporary artists inspired by Walden–the pond; the book published in 1854 by natural history philosopher, social critic, and early environmentalist Henry David Thoreau; and the connection and disconnection between the two.

Today, 160 years after its first publication, Walden is firmly ensconced in the canon of great American literature. It remains the foundational text for American nature writing, and its message of living simply, economically, and intentionally has resonated throughout subsequent generations. In the wake of the Great Recession and the growing urgency of climate change, Walden emerges again as a home-grown American handbook dedicated to self-reliance and a life lived with, not against, nature.

These same topics loom large as contemporary artists rethink their relationship to society, the environment, and the role of art within culture. Walden, revisited brings fifteen artists to deCordova, the pond’s neighbor, to contemplate and review the less explored legacies of this great American memoir through and in contemporary art practices.

Image: William Cordova, “somewhat as intangible and indescribable as the tints (h.d.t.) (from the synecdoche suite)”, 2014, courtesy of the artist and Sikkema Jenkins & Co.