Artist Statement

IndusTREEialization is a collaborative installation that aims to draw attention to the symbiotic functionality of our unnatural, manufactured world with the natural, primal world. The installation will be built surrounding the base of several trees so as to seem one with them – intertwined with nature and built from ground-up, along the trunk of the trees. It will be held up with a wooden base made of plywood that has been sealed and painted with an abstract design that flows along the woodgrain of the structure. As the sculpture seems to grow with the tree, it will start to morph to man-made products such as found and recycled plastic, acrylic and mirror. Parts of the plastic and acrylic will be painted, carrying a cohesive abstract design from ground up. The work is reminiscent of the beltline itself – having been once a natural environment, untouched by man until being industrialized into a railroad, then reclaimed by nature until once again being developed into what it is today which is a perfect symbol of unity between urban civilization and nature. The mirror allows viewers to see themselves in the piece, representing man. The plastic represents our creations using natural elements. And the wood represents the natural world itself.