Document Type
Honors Project
Abstract
“Topiary Forest” is an exploration into the transformative actions of my hands, my role in a culture which exploits nature, the separation of nature and culture, and the pressure to commodify any and all processes of creation. The project consists of thirty tree fragments which I made on the lathe, and with various saws, sanders, and carving tools. The trees arose out of a need to visually explore the frictions between traditional definitions of nature and culture, and a desire to question the disparities between my love of nature and my involvement in the ongoing exploitation of it. In making these repeated forms I mimic the process of production, creating nature on a scale that is easily consumable. I chose to display the tree fragments in an open grid to invoke the organizing and confining effects of the gallery itself; there is enough space for viewers to walk into the forest where they––just like the trees––shape and have been shaped by various cultural forces.
Recommended Citation
Krompegel-Anliker, Isabella, "Topiary Forest" (2019). Art and Art History Honors Projects. 13.
https://digitalcommons.macalester.edu/art_honors/13
Included in
Art and Design Commons, Fine Arts Commons, History of Art, Architecture, and Archaeology Commons
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