Berries 2, Screenprint, 2024
Research
My research interests have long been centered on wilderness, but my collective year living in Alaska’s tourism industry has heavily influenced the focus of my art practice, shifting towards highlighting the quiet signs of human impact, even in seemingly pristine locations. I study, observe, and collect unnatural materials from natural environments as a commentary on the inefficacy of designating wilderness areas as a conservation tactic. Through these studies I have often found that wilderness in Alaska, and elsewhere, is simply nomenclature; there is no untouched land. Rituals such as gathering and sorting are important steps in my research. As the artist, I build familiarity with specific ecosystems by gathering objects, studying them individually through 2D media, and then organizing them into 3D assemblages to reflect the environment they came from. Through my art I argue that retroactively calling something natural, pristine, untouched, or wild, does not make it so.
Berries 2, Screenprint, 2024