What are the antinomies of landscape and life? The juxtaposition of the word “landscape” against “life” is an attempt to force our recognition of the ways in which the former is not guaranteed to be inclusive of the latter. In fact, the concept of landscape has historically been mobilized to deny the existence, agency and rights of those lifeforms which have inhabited the spaces designated as landscapes. This exhibition series is a rebuttal against this terra nullian framework which has insisted upon the lifelessness of land. Such thinking has allowed for practices of extraction, dispossession and ruination that continues to shape our lives today. In contrast, the artists participating in this series draw our attention to the imminence of life within the landscape, making visible and audible the presence of human and non-human vitality in what in art, geography and law has too often been represented as empty space. Each of the artists accomplish this using visual, aural and conceptual techniques, while also drawing into their work an aesthetics of relationality and social collaboration. In addition to three exhibitions over the 2021-2022 season, Landscape & Life will explore these concerns through public talks, performances and workshops. The exhibition series will be archived online and in a publication produced after its conclusion.

This series is curated by Gabriel Saloman, and features exhibitions by Paige Emery & Suzy Poling (Oct/Nov 2021), Raven Chacon (Jan/Feb 2022), and Paul Walde (Apr/May 2022).

Restructure Renewal is a photographic collage series in the post-human era that is about transforming, rebuilding, and cloning urbanized infrastructures and collapse through repetition. The impact of urban environments on the planet is mostly ungraspable due to scale and abundance. These images are meant to offer a sense of wonder and consideration about resourcing large scale materials and functionality of redesign and reuse. This work is conceptualizing the metropolis as a potentially up-cycled reality during the daunting era of climate change. Prints in Edition of 3.

 

Geological Anomalies is a photographic series of caverns, volcanic sites,  fissures, unique minerals, and abstract rock formations created from the air, water, and wind erosion and abrasion.  This series explores the process of transformation and regeneration and abstract beauty within volatile environments and coastal regions. Prints in an edition of 5.

 

 

 

Light Apparitions is a photographic series that explores the vastness of repetition through experiments of light and optical phenomena. Scale is an important component of my work; constructing and shooting from miniature models allows me to reference vastly massive landscapes, architectural matrices, portals, and inter-dimensional space. By blocking out portions of light and positioning cut mirrors, endless reflections contort and refractive errors occur. Prints are in an edition of 5.

Geo Resequence is a selection of experimental photographic, xeroxed, digitized, and painted collages that examine ways of transforming, restructuring, and cloning infrastructures through repetition. These works explore minimal geometry, complex spaces, and cyclical patterns within nature, ecology, and geology during the daunting age of climate change. The use of ‘Geo’ in the title references geological time, geometry, geomancy, and geography. ‘Resequence’ refers to how the effects of human activity are resequencing planetary time — resulting in the collapse of human time and accelerating the need to redesign human structures to be in accordance with the earth system. Book published on Lay__Out Press, 2021.

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Pod Blotz is a Modern Electronics, Abstract Techno, Rhythmic Industrial, Noise, and Experimental Music project located in Los Angeles. The sound is an otherworldly, cathartic mix of modular electronics, vocals, rhythmic elements, tape manipulation, metals, and field recordings. Pod Blotz has been extensively toured and performed at Hospital Productions Festival, San Francisco Electronic Music Festival, Color Out of Space Festival, Yerba Beuna Center for the Arts, Berkeley Art Museum, and Contemporary Jewish Museum. This long-standing project currently has a new full-length LP on Dais Records (LA/NYC) and has released music on LIES (NYC, Paris), Chocolate Monk (UK), Nostilevo (LA), Air Texture, Conjunto Vacio ( Spain), Difficult Interactions (LA), Clan Destine Records (UK), Dungeon Taxis (NZ/NYC) .

Transdimensional System is the reflection of catharsis, beauty, texture and the cognitive complexities of human adaptation in the post-technological era and industrial landscape. The catalyst of this expression was the result of a physiological and mechanical transformation during my own surgical implantation, eliciting reinterpretations of materiality in relationship to the human form. This collection of work aims to redefine new systems- the body as a landscape or landscape as a body, a transference of life. This sonic and visual representation brings to attention the concerns about the potential and dangers of future/post-human philosophies, AI, cybernetic systems, and humanity’s role amidst our civilization’s entry into the Anthropocene. Released on Dais Records, 2020.

Sculptural Human Action is an interdisciplinary and immersive project within my body of work that encompasses the use of video, photography, fiber art, sculpture, sound, and performance art. The human is presented as a sculptural form, conductor, transmitter, messenger, material configuration, and assimilator of light and action. Exploring hypnotic suggestions, shapeshifting, catharsis activities, ritual, and otherworldly personas; each participant delves into the realms of sculptural construction and roll playing within each environment.

Natural Phenomenon is a photographic series of geothermal features, volcanic sites, bioluminescence, algae blooms, hot springs, and unique minerals such as bacteria mat.  This series explores the process of transformation and regeneration,  Earth’s natural colorful spectrum, and the abstract beauty within volatile environments. This series is shot on medium and large format film. Prints in an edition of 10.