I work intuitively, merging art and science to investigate the complex relationships between humans and our environment. My ongoing fascination with unseen rhythms of the human body and our interdependence with the natural world are forces that reside at the core of my life and work.
In the series Self Without Interpretation, I collected brain activity data to use as source material. I learned to operate a multi-electrode, medical-grade EEG device and invited participants to attend private sessions in my studio to record their EEG data in real time.
I initiated a six-minute series of questions about love and loss in their lives and asked each person to think deeply about the answers. Upon completion I asked each person to write in my project notebook about his or her EEG experience as well as to describe a meaningful environment within the natural world. These writings provided me with additional insight to realize the photographic series Self Without Interpretation.
After reviewing each participant’s EEG recording, I collected digital screen-captures of the data, and printed the brainwave patterns onto surgical gauze—material that represents both pain and healing. I began to travel throughout the United States in search of peoples’ stated sanctuaries. Carrying only my digital camera and printed fabric, I released the gauze into the natural environment to photograph its movement through currents of air or water. As my process evolved I began to photograph the gauze after wrapping, suspending, or submerging it within the environment—thus enabling me to have a more physical connection in my overall project.
As the printed medical gauze became frayed and torn, it reminded me of the invisible threads that bind human beings to Earth. It is my hope that this work will offer viewers valuable, visual acknowledgment of the fragile and important connection to our planet that is needed for our common survival.