2011-12

 

Silicification is one of the pre-mineralization stages in the process of petrifaction.   This natural process creates a facsimile of the original specimen by replacing its organic matter with silica resulting in a stone fossil.  Utilizing silica, the core component of porcelain clay, my work replicates this process by creating a petrified state in which to begin a discord on the impact of human activity on the environment.

 

Silicification brings into focus our fragmented relationship with the temporal life of trees and the pace of our modern existence.  Silicified with porcelain, its last moments are frozen, capturing its transient essence and timeless beauty.  Our rapidly changing natural environment underscores a desperate need to adjust our gaze and reaffirm the importance woodlands and the impact their loss will have on the global ecosystem.  Although Silicification accentuates the end stages of life, it affirms the self-sufficiency of the earth to regenerate itself over the expanse of time and within the continuous cycle of decay and renewal.