I am an interdisciplinary artist, and work at the intersection of visual art and landscape architecture. My work involves construction of temporary landscapes, outdoor installations, collaborative building and design, and public space interventions, as well as tangible objects that encompass sculpture, painting, and collage. I use words, natural materials, and found objects, among other media, and my work is often informed by public participation. Through my projects I seek to help people interact with their environments, whether natural or artificial, and to create evocative and vibrant public places for themselves. My primary subjects of interest include plants, maps, genius loci, vernacular design, and the multiple senses we use to navigate this world.
I am currently developing a multimedia series called Lost [Found] Landscapes, which documents fragments of urban landscapes through digital drawings, mixed media reliefs, and sculpture. These compositions, combining synthetic and organic textures and materials, are my translations of the character, or spirit, of landscapes I observe around the city. Urban terrain comprises layers of contrasting materials: splashes of weeds in a parking lot; exotic, high-maintenance ornamentals in a planter box; spilt coffee overlying a splotch of splattered paint; skid marks burned into asphalt; a random ray of light casting a shadow here, revealing a pattern there; a peeling sticker; an illegal tag, all superimposed on the city’s grid. Small but significant details render a given space, at a specific moment, unique.
Due to the deficit of accessible open space, and born out of the reality that some things cannot be solved by good design alone, my work often takes root in the cracks of the urban landscape. It might take the form of an alternative play space on a vacant city lot, appear in a pop-up show at a pending eminent domain, or manifest as a spontaneous street intervention.