Sense of Place
Sense of Place is an ongoing ecological art project exploring relationships between people and environment in Northern New Mexico through recontextualized found materials, paths and rituals. Video and images exploring my process of creating this project are included in this online exhibition: Embodying Process.
The project site is located in Po-Woh-Geh-Owingeh “Where the water cuts through”; situated on land that was once a ranchito (homestead ranch), surrounded by and surrounding land of the Pueblo of San Ildefonso, and shadowed by the once secret city of Los Alamos (birthplace of the atomic bomb). These dynamic layers of land use are ever present in my mind as I explore paths to understanding this place. Guided by Ecofeminist principles, I aim to examine site-specific history alongside parallels between colonization, discarded materials, open dumps, invasive plants and patriarchal mindset of gender, race, class and the environment. By referencing spiritual and religious traditions of altars, meditation gardens and processions, Sense of Place seeks to offer opportunities for reflection and reconnection.