A bough of wet fennel, 2023
A bough of wet fennel is a line from the poem The Flight of the Duchess by Robert Browning. The poem explores themes of freedom, imprisonment, and the complexities of human desire and the struggle for freedom in the face of social and cultural constraints. In the companion video to this zine, I center fennel as a symbol for renewal and regeneration due to its ability to grow back after being cut down but also explore the fraught nature of its invasive growth. Fennel becomes the guide to explore the complexities of place, its versatility and adaptability as well as its duality as an invasive species. By focusing on this plant, I can explore complex themes and ideas and reveal hidden patterns, structures, and meanings within the Marin Headlands landscape. I decode ecology through aesthetics and explore the negative and positive effects this plant has on ecosystems and human communities. The video emphasizes long takes of fennel wrapped in latex and knotted with rubber and a hypnotic score to create a meditative and introspective viewing experience. The combination of plants and rubber in art represents the intersection of the natural and the synthetic, as well as the balance between traditional and modern approaches to medicine and healing. With a goal of creating a more balanced and effective approach to wellness. Through the companion video to the zine, the artist delves into the multifaceted nature of fennel, using it as a guide to explore the complexities of the Marin Headlands landscape. The video's long takes of fennel wrapped in latex and knotted with rubber, accompanied by a hypnotic score, create a meditative and introspective viewing experience. This visual exploration decodes ecology through aesthetics, shedding light on both the negative and positive impacts of the fennel plant on ecosystems and human communities.
Screening in the Rodeo Room, Building 944: Commissions By David Ireland at the Headlands Center for the Arts
