2020-21 MFA Thesis (In-Progress)
This page serves as an ongoing journal of sorts as I plan and execute portions of my thesis research over the next nine months.
February 2021
As I transition back into my daily studio practice after months of playing in the dirt, I am working with the various artifacts collected at the Arboretum (8ft aloe trunk, seed pod parachutes, acacia needles, etc.). Additionally, I am beginning weavings for my fungal weaving series from: 1. the redwood trees that have been downed at the arboretum 2. the carob wood from my fungAI installation 3. coco coir fibers that have been handspun into loose weft pieces. As I prepare these weavings, I am also growing the fungal spore broth and rye cultures that I intend to inoculate the weavings with. As you might imagine, weaving with wood takes a long time, from splitting up the trees to using a drawknife to collect the curls, to hand-weaving them on a wall loom. I will be working on the other dead-biology works in the meantime, including the impaled aloe trunk below. This Aloe Marlothii trunk had rotted and collapsed many months ago and it weighs about 500 pounds. I welded a base for the trunk and impaled it with steel for stability to get it standing (9 feet tall). The aloe that popped off the top when the trunk collapsed is being rooted separately and I hope to reunite the beheaded trunk with its bloom through Seussian sculptural intervention.
January 2021
In November, we learned that half of the arboretum will not be demolished for the impending UCI North Campus redevelopment. Therefore, we set to work on the side that was in immediate danger. After several months of the Floratarian Relief project, Danny Meller, a number of community members, and I relocated hundreds of rare South African plant species. From 60-lb aloes to more euphorbia than we have ever seen, we couldn’t have done it without the support of Dr. Peter Bowler and local plant lovers. We were able to raise $5000 to establish an undergraduate scholarship for research in the UCI Arboretum and Herbarium. As plant adoptions wind down and I return to my studio, I am joined by a number of dead artifacts from the space that I intend to use as materials for my MFA thesis exhibition artworks.
November 2020
Thanks to Jesse Jackson, I have a serendipitous and wonderful new friendship and research relationship with Dr. Peter Bowler from the Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology at UCI and by extension, the UCI Arboretum. I am sad to share that due to the impending construction of a new hospital on the land next to the UCI Arboretum and Herbarium, both will be demolished in January of 2021. This will destroy a space that has been a sanctuary for plants, animals, birds, bugs, and humans alike. My heart hurts for the arboretum and Dr. Bowler, particularly during such a destructive year and I have reorganized my thesis to prioritize working with the arboretum until demolition begins. In the near future, I will begin relocating those plants which will not be rescued by the pre-demolition groups and will be trying to find them new homes. Additionally, several redwood trees grow in the space that were cloned from Northern California redwood tree tissue by Dr. Ernest Ball and planted in the UCI arboretum in the 1970’s. In preparation for demolition, several of these trees have already been cut down and more may follow. With the guidance of Erich Wise, the sculpture studios facility head in the art department, I have been learning how to work with the downed trees. I am in the process of using axes to shape the wood into a smoother plane that I can then shave thin strips off of. I intend to make weavings with the wood from these trees and weave spore-rich material into them so that they become new homes to life for fungal colonies. I would also like to explore weaving structures and sleeves for humans to help us reconnect with the earth and mitigate our anxiety and eco-grief over environmental destruction and the lack of sustainability in our society.