Feedback LOOP
Handmade ink from iron, oak galls, coal pollution runoff, found sheetrock, goldenrod, copper, indigo on paper made from sugarcane and shredded disposable plastic waste (“plasticane”), metal
80” x 100” x 27”
2022
The top of this drawing is of an oak tree toppled during Hurricane Ida which seems to be pulled down by the infrastructure of LOOP, the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, that is taking over the fallen oak’s root system. LOOP, an offshore oil hub that connects to pipelines that criss-cross the wetlands of Southern Louisiana, positions itself as a strategic reserve of oil and gas. Yet its’ operations, and the extraction and burning of fossil fuels, contribute to the deterioration of the Louisiana coastline; warming the seas and worsening the hurricanes, locking this region into a negative feedback loop.
The bottom of this drawing, reflects the infrastructure of LOOP, the Louisiana Offshore Oil Port, an offshore oil hub that connects to pipelines that criss-cross the wetlands of Southern Louisiana, and positions itself as a strategic reserve of oil and gas. In this sculptural drawing, the bottom half of the work is not structurally supported and over time will sag with the effects of gravity becoming flaccid. Harnessing this natural force, I’m imagining a time in the future when we look back on our use of fossil fuels with disbelief, when this infrastructure is an impotent reminder of our past follies.
This sculptural drawing features inks made from materials all found, foraged or grown near me: goldenrod, scrap copper, indigo, oak galls, sheetrock, and fossil fuel pollution; on my handmade plasticane paper; sewn over a welded structure. By making my own paper and my own inks intentionally sourced from my ecosystem and processing these materials into artworks, I’m offering an alternative perspective on how we can relate to our world. How can we shift the paradigm to break the cycles we are caught in to imagine a livable future for our region?
Images with dark walls from my solo exhibition, Dry Cypress Bayou at at Ibis Contemporary, New Orleans
January 2023