Landscapes: human-created & self-swen
Landscapes: human-created & self-sewn examines two different landscapes in Texas, human-created sites (black and white silver gelatin prints) and self-sewn plants (cyanotype photograms). The body of work compares the two different landscapes and how they are commonly perceived.
Human-created Landscapes examines land sites that have been created by humans creating a footprint on the environment. Without text, the landscapes might be viewed as beautiful, peaceful, and even inviting. However, each site is a document of human’s footprint, such as waste management, water treatment, water control, and mining the earth. These landsites are deemed necessary to adjust to humans’ lifestyle, even though they are a reflection of how the land is contaminated and/or altered by humans. In comparison self-sewn plants are displayed as subjects of study, stripped of color and recorded in cyanotypes blue prints. Each plant documented is a naturally self-sewn plant collected in Texas. The collection is composed of natives and transplants, all of which can grow naturally on its own in the Texas environment, without additional aid of water, soil treatment, or fertilizers. Some contain beneficial or medicinal properties. However, many of these plants are deemed weeds and often fought against with poison. This collection of work looks at the comparison of human-created landscapes and natural self-sewn plants, asking if it is time to rethink how certain plants and landsites are viewed.