Mycorrhizal Part I
Mycorrhizal: Part I
Over the past several years my work has dealt with the juxtaposition of nature and its specific relationships with human civilization. In my newest series, entitled Mycorrhizal, my thought process has evolved to focus a previously external perspective, inward. I aim to create a body of work, which directly connects my exploration of nature, place and architecture to that of my own personal experiences; past, current and future places of recreation, work and home. This series reflects upon my own current and previous residences, experiences and connections within Ohio, Vermont and upstate New York. These three locations, while disparate geographically, are both deeply and personally connected. Each location has informed my past and current work, perspective and perceptions.
Mycorrhizal is a term used in plant pathology to describe the symbiotic relationship between a fungi and the root of a plant. A connected network of these fungi allows for the exchange of carbohydrates from tree and minerals to the plant/tree. This interconnectedness is vital to the success of both species. I found these mutually beneficial relationships in nature an intriguing process; one that provided a new lens in which to view nature and my own experiences through this body of work.
Mycorrhizal is a 3 part series that explores my working relationship to the landscape of my childhood home in upstate NY, the calculations and consideration in my life in Ohio and the ideas of applied renewable resources and sustainable building methods learned in my time in the woods of Vermont. This series has been built with no emphasis on one of these places or another. These works are assemblages of these spaces and their personal connotations. Structural plans used to build a studio for my Ohio home, interlace and overlap with the mountains of Vermont. Silhouettes of tall pine trees are bisected with the saw tooth rooflines of the industrial northeast and midwest. Each image has a narrative, a history, a past and future aspirations. Each place and each subsequent piece within my series are informed and connected to one another. This series explores my overlapping homes, experiences and worlds within worlds.