2021
Cyanotype/Inkjet Prints
18x24 inches
Below And Beyond is experimental abstractions of the images of tree roots made with the cyanotype technique. It is based on my readings around cosmic awareness, coexistence, connection, and taking root, inspired by my nature walks and bodily disconnectedness with family and friends during the first year of the pandemic. They are visual explorations of my aim to be rooted, to understand where my roots are as an immigrant and how one perceives the concept of roots through nature. Reserving center stage for trees that could be considered carriers of ecological memory and their roots that preserve their consciousness, the series refers to the perpetual cycle and interconnectedness of life, physically and spiritually.
The prints, produced initially as cyanotypes, symbolize the consciousness and memory that emanates from the earth through being connected and interdependent. Roots represent physical connectedness but also past, present, and future connectedness. Images that resemble cells magnified under a microscope represent a close-up look at the connections and network systems that the individual feeds on and the macro view of the planet that we exist on by looking underneath the surface. They remind us that the roots, evoking a sense of belonging, are connected to a shared system, to the constant flow in nature.
