research: plants & cityscapes

 

  • neophyt | munich

    This, this place of healing this fire-fueled fortress of a building that houses the odd and obscure, the painfully hyperaware and the ones one wishes you always wanted, worried and worn, makeshift and dusty, dirty even, compared to the curated traditionalism of blacklist and backlighting.

    Neophyt examined the act of knowing the other as a form of self-defense through wildcrafting with invasive plant species. Invasive plants, often introduced by human activity, have the potential to change entire landscapes and drive other species extinct. Many are well-suited to warm climates and will thrive as a result of climate change. Through the study of invasive species found in Munich, the creation of natural dyes used to color towels used in the Dirty Care installation, and a lecture/workshop focused on the practical use of a chosen species, I aim to question the fear around invasive species, and instead examine their possibilities. These plants can tell stories about our relationship with the landscape of the city, the use of botany in self-care, and our treatment of the “other.”

    The project was conducted as part of the exhibition Dirty Care at Lothringer 13 Halle in August/September 2024, part of the Various Others project.

    Photo credit Frank Bauer.

 

  • iron monoprint on paper

    Il-Hadid is a series of monoprints collected from small man-made pools near St. Elmo’s bridge in Valletta. The former St. Elmo’s fell during combat between colonial English forces and the Italian navy during the second World War. The wartime history of the bridge is not obvious today; the rocks around it are generally used for leisurely walks along the bastion.

    However, near the bridge one can find iron-lined holes from older structures where aging metals bleed into naturally collecting pools of seawater.

    I found these holes and began collecting the floating pieces of iron on a sheet of paper, using the same technique as ebru, or marbling. I pulled four series of prints over two months, directly reflecting the moment each print is made. Capturing this process tracks the passage of time, creating an artefact out of the effects of forgotten infrastructure, materializing wartime leftovers and illustrating their continued influence on the environment.

    This series was displayed as part of Mahalla: Memento in Fall 2024

 

  • endemia | valletta

    The sea from the balcony runs pink and soft and pearly under the clouds, shimmering and dancing with the pigeons that coo and cackle from their perches. The petals of some of the flowers open and close with the evening, speaking in spiral or as a claw, sometimes wagging their dicks out from beneath the folding door that holds them inside until their time comes.

    This project aimed to work with and encourage local residents to engage with their surroundings, incorporate urban sketching into their weekly routines and explore local flora near Valletta. It ran in three parts: a workshop series where Malta residents joined together to learn about local plant life and sketch green spaces in the city of Valletta, Malta; my own urban nature journal; and a mapping element where each sketching location was documented and displayed at a final event to celebrate the end of the project.

    The project was conducted through the InnovAIR residency at the Valletta Design Cluster in March 2023.

 

  • Silhouettes or skylines are less than half the picture. A cityscape presents in layers, defined by points of control puzzled with quiet pockets that call you to stop where you are. Stop and gaze at how a pale pink wall crumbles, rest on leaves nestled next to shiny aluminum siding, stop to breath cigarette smoke mixed with baking bread.

    dolaşma is an ongoing experiment in artistic production as a form of urban studies, a series of works designed to discover the heart of a city and poke at the urban imaginary. It encompasses different cities and themes, connected by the spirit of exploration and intuition.

    dolaşma: Istanbul was first exhibited in completion of my MA in Visual Art and Visual Communication Design, featuring an installation of found paper collage and drawings and hosted at NADAS Istanbul from 13 January to 20 January 2019.

    Research drawings from dolaşma: Lefkoşa were exhibited in a virtual studio tour (per COVID restrictions) as part of the Mahalla Festival Art Walk 2020.