UN/Natural specimens
Un/Natural is series of contemporary works that speaks to our relationship with the natural world and our waste. Our trash, particularly plastics, can be found on every continent, in every biome, in every environment, and even our own bodies. What if that trash took on a life of its own? What if it started adapting to our world? What if it started growing? Un/Natural represent the collected specimens, and corresponding field notes, of an imagined new classification of plants, fungus, and algae that is defined by its integration of plastics and glass into its life cycle. The Un/Natural world is set in the future, after the oncoming ecological disaster, were humans are returning to and exploring the ruined world. These imagined plants are often toxic to humans and degrade our man-made world; they are perfectly suited to the polluted world we created.​
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This body of work is created using embroidery and beading, along with custom made recycled materials combined with natural materials to create specimens.
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The work on the right won 3rd place at the "Destination Nature" Juried Exhibition, 5 Sparks in Harvard, MA, 2022. The show is hosted by 5 Sparks in partnership with Harvard Conservation Trust. The work featured 10 specimens in a shadow box display case.
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