Foraged clay, wood 6’H x 18"W x 18"D
Perspectives on Erasure, ‘Uba Seo
October 8th 2022 - April 15th 2023
The Nisenan peoples' use of fire was quickly deemed unlawful by European settlers in the 1850s, and our modern and oversimplified story of fearing fire began. The impact of this on our living environment is evermore apparent and understood. Decades of unmanaged forests have created thick dry underbrush waiting for ignition - but what about the impact on Culture and spirit? The outlawing of fire also meant the taking of Nisenan central grief practices, where they would support the transformation of dead loved ones up into the afterlife. They burned them on a pyre. Their belongings were adorned on long poles. While crying and singing, all their belongings were fed into the pyre. By foraging, processing, sculpting, and pit firing clay from old mining sites, I sought to ask: How might ignoring death and grief contribute to Nisenan erasure? What can grief practices teach us about embracing challenging truths? How can these truths support us in repairing relationships and giving reparations?
Cotton dyed with the Cascade Canal trail.
Installation commissioned by Bear Yuba Land Trust.
June 2023
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Prayer is a collaboration with the more than human world.
Prayer will evolve with sun time, wind, and moisture, celebrating the elements and beings at work creating a balanced ecosystem.
Prayer beckons us to pause in awe.
Prayer is a mirror of the life that endlessly grows and dies, inviting us to reflect on our own transient nature and what we leave behind.
by Ash, Big leaf maple, Bleeding hearts, Bracken fern, Charcoal, Flowering dogwood, Dwarf sunflowers, Honeysuckle, Incense cedar, Manzanita and Mekdela Maskal
Open Newsroom by THE CITY + Brooklyn Public Library
A year-long project to work with communities to make local news more collaborative, launched in 2018.
THE CITY’s Open Newsroom teamed up with the Brooklyn Public Library because libraries and newsrooms are natural partners. Both aim to be hubs of information, conversation and community. And we both love New York.
Community members who joined us explored how to bring these three points together — and use what we all learn to create a different model for sharing and participating in local news and information.
In the first three rounds, more than 200 people joined us to discuss what neighborhood issues matter most to them. Topics that came up repeatedly included: affordable housing, access to transportation, access to fresh food (and other food-related issues), safety concerns and education.