Skip to main content

My place in my place

I've been thinking about my place in my place; that is, how my pre-existing connection to the Woods Creek Trail influences the way that I observe it and form ideas about materials or images to collect. While I am treating my observations as an "alien walk," Woods Creek and its trail attract people; people become part of the landscape.

One thought that crossed my mind was that I could somehow collect the dirt prints from my shoes after a trip down to my section of the trail. For many students and other community members, I reckon, a trip down to the trail, whether for a walk, run, or science class, may be the only dirty steps in "nature" that they take that day. But because of my position in this project as an outsider to this scene, would collecting a remnant of my personal experience with the place be blurring the observer vs. outsider line, even if I represent some of the other characters who pass through?

Comments

  1. UnknownJanuary 24, 2018 at 11:01 AM

    I can really relate to this. My place in my place has not only changed for this project, but has drastically changed for the next 6 months.
    I also love the idea of collecting footprints. As you said, people become part of the landscape. And their footprints are the physical mark they leave on the landscape. Although it may not be permit, it will likely be replaced by another footprint. So, in that sense we have left our mark on the area forever.

    ReplyDelete

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Everglades Adventure

Over the Feb break, i went to Everglades National Park for a sea kayaking trip with W&L Outing Club. The trip let us embraced and appreciate the true wilderness and we learned to survive on an isolated island. Over the trip, we followed the "Leave no waste" rule from permaculture, which i think is really interesting. We used biodegradable dish washing liquid and other environmentally friendly products when we were on the island and we picked up all the trashes (from us and from other people who left trash and didn't pick them up after) Human leaves footprint wherever they go. What we can do to make our footprints sustainable is to be conscious about the waste we are making and recycle them. It is the same in permaculture design. When we try to build things and make progresses, we have to be conscious of our actions. We had campfire every night and everyone sit in a circle (and we burn the burnable trash such as orange peels and tissues to leave no waste). We also use...
1 comment
Read more

Making my own paint

In this exploration of place, I have come to realize how much coffee is the essence of Coop. It is one of the most commonly ordered items on the menu. The smell permeates the space (and now my room). The sound of the coffee machine is the soundtrack underneath the conversation and laughter.  When approaching this in progress critique, I struggled with how to bring that essence into the piece. A simple cup of coffee did not have the same effect, it was not overwhelming. Inspiration from my third visit inspired me to use the drink in a different way. I spent my weekend painting with coffee. I used a variety of "canvases" to see how the textures affected the way the "paint" dried. I used napkins, paper and cardstock. The varying degrees of thickness determined how quickly the material soaked up the liquid and the patterns it dried in. In addition to staining the surface, the coffee left behind the faint scent of Coop. 
1 comment
Read more

Photography Conference

I spent this past weekend at a photography conference in Philadelphia. The theme of the weekend was "Uncertain Times." I attended a panel by Byron Wolfe and Matt Klett about their most recent project, Drowned River . They spent several weeks documenting Glen Canyon and the effects of the Glen Canyon Dam. During their trip, they rephotographed sites shot by Eliot Porter back in 1963. I kept coming back to this idea of rephotography. While not specifically eco-art, their photographs demonstrate the change in environments over time. In Drowned River , they illustrate the negative impact the dam has had on the water. Specifically, the canyon that Porter photographed is now underwater. I am interested to hear how you all think eco-artists can engage with photography in their work. You can check out more of their work here: http://www.klettandwolfe.com/
1 comment
Read more