"They Call Me Theirs - Willow" detail, inkjet print mounted on aluminum, 2008

The title of the work is taken from a line in the poem “Hamatreya” by Ralph Waldo Emerson, which questions man’s desire to claim ownership of the land that is inherently owned by nature. In the poem, the Earth responds, “How am I theirs, / If they cannot hold me, / But I hold them?” Similarly, the exhibition holds a sound-insulated cabin or shrine for the viewer to enter. A “hanging garden” composed of large scale prints on aluminum, surrounds the Cabin. A handcrafted hardwood box containing a small personal monitor with video of the four seasons sits inside the cabin, while two different cacophonous soundtracks play from both the interior and exterior of the cabin, highlighting the tension between the two environments.

The hanging garden digital paintings were sourced from video stills, painted, re-digitized and manipulated, creating a luscious though synthetic environment. The collaged format allows for site-specific installations. "They call me theirs" has exhibited in numerous venues from 2008 - 2012.

To view the Notebeart Museum Exhibition check out They call me theirs