Plant Beings
installations and wall hangings
The Plant Beings outdoor ephemeral installation occurred at Columbia Ecovillage on July 9, 2022.
My goal was to interact with the land and trees using botanical prints on fabric.
What energy do the plants and space want to express? How can my fabric shapes and prints activate the space? Over a few months I spent time there listening and feeling. As images and came to me I made the prints, then stitched them together into fabric sculptures. The first time I saw them installed was the morning of July 9th. It was thrilling to see how the sculptures became a conversation with the place.
I created four sculptures inspired by different trees and places. I mostly printed plants I found on the property. Red twig dogwood, autumn olive, bamboo, bracken fern, wild rose, fringecup.
LAY: Five linen towels placed in a star on the ground under a Mulberry tree.
TURN: Ten foot long strips of fabric sewn to a circular frame and suspended from a black walnut tree.
REACH: Fifty foot long piece of fabric draped between two cherry trees.
GATHER: Five fabric panels hanging in an apple tree.
photos of the installation: Kamala Kingsley Photography
PROCESS
Botanical printing teaches me to observe the seasons and the plants more closely to collaborate on images or sculptures. The process blends chemistry, experimentation, intuition, trust, and respect for the plants. There are many techniques. The one I use involves mordanting the fabric so it will accept the pigments from the plants and working with tannins to create dark contrasting colors and shapes. I enjoy discovering new plants and learning what color and shapes they print. I feel honored and amazed at what comes through each time.