Myriad of Chemicals & Pathways

 

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Felted wool & silk, servo motor, Arduino, mechanical components, found tree bark and branch

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Installation is 20' tall.

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 Looking outward, I am inspired by the resilience I witness throughout life, modeled in Earth’s ecosystems. Life persists despite the harshest of conditions. Fallen trees reach toward the sky with fresh shoots bearing new leaves seeking sunlight. Vast fungal networks find their place in the process of recycling nutrients and serving as messengers for the trees. Caterpillars trust process as they hide away to pupate in their metamorphic cocoons. A reciprocal exchange takes place as certain living creatures rely on oxygen and release carbons, while others absorb carbons and release oxygen. I create space to celebrate and examine these phenomena in my work.

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Earth’s ecosystems are composed of relationships, in which entities support and/or hinder their counterparts.  Environments shape me; I shape environments. Ecosystems thrive with balance, diversity, and life’s drive to flourish. In my artistic practice, I utilize time, natural materials, movement, light, and robotics while taking into consideration my own body as a performer, robotic potential, and audiences/collaborators as part of the installation/performance ecosystem. I investigate the process of holding space for happiness and the ability to thrive despite adversity – through representations of myself and extensions thereof at parallel with my wellness practices.

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My trauma-informed embodiment practice of felting individual cocoons to hold and care for each part of myself allows me to acknowledge my whole being as someone who is not limited to my trauma or my grief. Parts of me experience joy in different ways, and that is really lovely. 

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I feel a deep sense of gratitude to the organisms who transform my waste into life and consumable nutrients - especially the trees and the fungi. Holding space for myself to embody this sense of gratitude fuels my being with joy. I revel in this joy as often as I can encounter a tree - whether on a hike in the woods or abstractly in my process of making. I revel in the joy of experiencing gratitude for all who support my existence.

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The process of identifying, deconstructing, and rebuilding myself is continuous. I continue to find aspects of myself in the pupal state. I hold each of these discoveries with care, allowing every part of myself to exist. This is illustrated in my Pupae series - each pupa signifies a part of myself.

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Supported through funding from The Public Digital Arts Cluster Grant at the University of Iowa

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