Domestic Spaces, Natural "Invasion"

So grad school will really kick your butt....

I'm finally getting around to putting up photo documentation of the work I've been doing so far, and here's the first of it! This is a piece I did to begin working on ideas of natural artifice and the domestic.

Project Statement

The Victorians were fascinated with bringing nature into the home. It was a kind of backlash against the modern industrial age, as well as an exercise in decorative aesthetic. Over time, this fascination with nature hasn’t lessened in Western society. As we’ve become increasingly distanced from the natural world—the out doors being dirty, full of germs, bugs, and other undesirable things—the desire for natural artifice or “fake nature” has increased, leading to a market of goods that co-opt the image of natural phenomena, pattern, texture, and shape. This idealized version of nature is seemingly welcoming and benevolent, domestic and tactile, including mass-produced items such as blankets that look like moss and designer felt rocks. But what is within this fascination that causes this rift between the artificial and the real? Why is the fake embraced and actual nature placed in a position as “other” to be enjoyed as an idea more than in actuality? In producing these rocks, I wanted to explore the connections between domestic and tactile, in relation to fake natural objects. Why do people want to consume these objects, to own them? Is it a kind of exertion of control over (idealized) nature? And what causes these fake natural artifacts to camouflage themselves so well into domestic spaces?



These rocks were screen printed with ink and dye and then painted/printed with micro-suede base for the puffy lichens. They were then sewn and stuffed! I'm planning to continue locating the "site" for this work. I don't think that inviting people into a domestic space (such as my sun room) is really feasible as a long-term strategy for making work in/about domestic spaces. Neither is attempting to create a domestic space in a gallery setting. I believe I will end up sending these rocks out into the world, to live in the homes of people I know. I'll then round up images of the rocks in their new homes and create a photo book that documents the work.