But Once We Dreamed
2 room installation: Viewers walk through a traditionally hung exhibition of photographs, objects, and prints to an immersive installation with sound, glass, black walnut, book pages, locally collected tree branches, handmade lighting structures, silk, leaves, moss, and glass houses balanced on stones.
2023
But Once We Dreamed, 2023
In 1829, the Wardian Case, created by Nathaniel Ward, made it much more possible to transport living plants across great distances on sea voyages. This was exciting! This was wonderful! This, like so many aspects of the colonial project, led to destruction. At the time, London was so polluted that houseplants and garden plants got covered in soot and died. Wardian cases also made it possible to grow plants at home. This work uses letters about the Wardian case (read by text-to-), collected sounds, and glass houses balanced on stones with growing moss to explore this historical moment. Black Walnut, from which the plinths are made, traditionally offers protection, clears negativity, and posits new beginnings. It’s also an allelopathic plant, meaning it releases toxins that prohibit the growth of other plants.