Description

I am driven by a deep sense of wonder and curiosity about the non-human world. When I was a child I was extremely shy, and I dreamed of being able to express myself with bioluminescence, or by quietly passing information through a network of fungal filaments, instead of with spoken words. These desires evolved into a fascination with alternative languages and methods of connection. Today I study the sentience and sensory capabilities of rocks, squids, clouds, and other beings. My work is a series of communication attempts. Unexpected and sometimes mysterious relationships between paintings and sculptures are inspired by interspecies cooperation, conversations between living and non-living things, and a desire to mitigate ecological and human loneliness. Inspired by spectroscopy, a method used by astronomers to study some of the most enigmatic objects in the universe through their spectral characteristics, I use color studies and abstract footnotes to document my (often failed) attempts to connect with humans and non-humans, questions about the nature of language, and the ebbs and flows of my intimate relationships. These “field notes" grew out of years of research and encounters with some of the world’s quietest beings. I believe in the importance of listening to quiet organisms. When human noise and industry drown out messages from other beings, we miss urgent warning calls about environmental emergencies, as well as opportunities for repair. We also begin to lose quieter transmissions: desire expressed by mating fruit bats, the grief of a bereaved elephant, the record of a solar storm preserved in a tree ring. I believe in the intrinsic value of these intimate stories. What does our desire to engage with the non-human world tell us about ourselves? My central goal is to discover alternative, more vibrant ways of being human.