Ellie Irons: Speculative Arboriculture

This one has been fun to watch come together:

Combining found natural materials (dead wood, foliage) with electrical wiring and living plants like moss and lichen, the sculptural installation took the form of a networked branch riddled with wires that seem to be either drawing power from or conveying power too the surrounding built environment. I filmed the sculpture as I built it, combining footage shot in the studio with details from the surprisingly vibrant forest outside my studio. The result is a piece that slowly reveals an ecosystem in which the lines between technological and biological evolution appear increasingly blurred.

It’s also worth relinking the Bruce Sterling talk which is also amazing.

Link

We planted this tree

... about 8 years ago, along the path between our college dorms.

Trade School workshops this week

Ellie is co-teaching a class at Trade School tomorrow night called Drawing for Pleasure and Relaxation. My (non-keyboard) hand coordination is kind of pathetic and I’d like some practice. It is full, unfortunately, but if you’re really into the idea it’d probably be fine to just show up.

Another one I’ll be going to on Thursday is Art Work: A Discussion about Art, Labor, and Economics, which has a companion newspaper edition and website. There are 3 seats left as of right now.

Also, in case you missed it, there’s a free lecture tonight by CLUI‘s Matthew Coolidge out at Pratt (although, not on the main campus).