BENEATH
Series of 4”x 6” lenticular postcards, mail correspondence

2013-2015

In the subtle progression of flora that marks the seasons of North Florida, the small spikes of delicate betony flowers that dot suburban lawns, herald spring. Many in their quest for the perfectly manicured lawn view Florida Betony (Stachy Floridana) as a stubborn turf pest due to its rhizomatic root structure of white bulbous and segmented tubers resembling the tail of a rattlesnake, hence its other moniker—Rattlesnake Weed. Still others consider betony’s edible tubers delicious in salads, pickles and stir-fry and as a potential source of semi-digestible sugar that promotes friendly gut bacteria and inhibits harmful pathogens that cause pneumonia and vaginal infections.

The network of roots that characterize betony’s penchant for subterraneous growth inspired me to contact Floridians (scientists, native plant specialists, healers, cooperative extension agents) who have a professional relationship with Stachy Floridana> inviting them to share their perspective via postcard correspondence. These lenticular flip postcards evidence a conversation about our cultural relationship with this ubiquitous crop/weed/native plant, inviting the audience to ponder the nature beneath our feet as we walk across our lawns on the way to the mailbox.

GREEN LINING? wall piece with portable DVD players in wooden "specimen boxes"
3 videos duration, 1:15, 3:14, 1:14
2010

Slash and burn land clearing in Florida provides an optimal habitat for edible weeds. green lining? documents the tragedy, irony, and possible redemption of these landscapes. Rampant land development—condominiums, churches, and subdivisions—marks/mars the Florida landscape and is part of the ongoing history of the state. Before the current economic recession marked the end of the real estate boom, developers cleared land at a breathtaking pace, forest and ranch land one week, strip mall and suburban homes the next. Bulldozers, fire, and herbicide destroy entire ecosystems. Next, a road replete with a cul-de-sac is etched into the landscape, followed by hydrants and signage purposing the land into sale-able lots. With the recession, the cleared land is left to its own devices, providing a habitat for edible weeds and creating a "green lining" in light of the greater destruction.

STATE OF THE UNION 2003: STATE OF THE UNION 2007 Video documentation of performance on portable DVD player
NEED DURATION OF VIDEO
2007

n State of the Union 2003: State of the Union 2007, I diagram sentences, a grade school technique for visually parsing grammar, as a way to demonstrate the changes and contradictions in US foreign policy with respect to the war in Iraq over time. I diagram the sections of President Bush's 2003 address that have to do with preparing the American people for the war in Iraq and then attempt to erase and reinsert the language from his 2007 State of the Union Address that discusses the Iraq war into the framework of the 2003 Address

PLACE OF UNDERSTANDING?
2'x2' on wall and 4'x1'x1' pedestal
2006

I asked about the plants that I saw on the side of a crater while I was in riding in the back of a truck in Ecuador. A woman who farmed the land adjacent to the national park read the landscape almost as if it was a text. In this piece I explored how landscapes become differentiated and both understood and misunderstood through narrative and translation. Three simultaneous translations flow across the screen: the first is my attempt to tell the stories in Spanish that I heard in Spanish from the woman farmer. The next line of text is how a native speaker of Spanish understood my telling of the story and the third line of text is how I understand and tell the story in English.