Leave

Inspired by Sally Mann's strong connection to home and Andy Goldsworthy's ephemeral earthworks, Leave is presented as a photographic document of a sculptural work featuring leaves transferred across states. The artist's home and current residence are represented in equal-sized photographs of piles of leaves on ground. In Louisiana, the green and freshly-picked leaves are symbolic of growth and life, while the Wisconsin leaves scraped from the unfrozen ground are symbolic of decay and death. When paired, this juxtaposition is intended to create an artistic paradox within the viewer. Viewers may find that the changes of the seasons connect to distinct aspects of their own searches for home.

Sally Mann

Sally Mann's landscapes. Strong connection to place/ huge inspiration in my life right now.

Watched a documentary before finishing this project about Sally Mann. She says "It never occurred to me to leave home to make art." and "The things that are close to you are the things you can photograph the best." I knew I needed to make art about home and my sense of home is very shaken lately. By transferring parts of places to other places, I was able to answer questions about home. Tying leaves to trees was the first time I felt like connecting something in art really made sense.

Andy Goldsworthy

For my leaf transfer project I was inspired by Andy Goldsworthy's ephemeral sculptures. He too uses photographs to document his work. Their connection to place is as important as the art itself.
Goldsworthy works with nature as a state of constant change which is incredibly important to my Louisiana/Wisconsin project. Not only does that change make up the subject matter, but it also allows the art to be sensitive to weather and season changes. Bringing leaves to their unnatural environment forces a state of change that wouldn't ordinarily occur.

Wisconsin Leaves/Louisiana Leaves

Wisconsin Leaves/Louisiana Leaves