Decompose/Recompose

For two decades, I have created constructed or staged photographs. Working much as an author does, I have crafted narratives with fictional characters who live in a world slightly different from ours. No sign of life exists save for small gardens maintained here and there by the Sower. With time, the Sower’s relationship with her plants has become more intimate, more sustaining. The Sower’s body and bodily functions, including the CO2 from their breath, heat from her body, and humidity from her skin sustain non-human life in an otherwise sterile world.

Since early January, the Sower has been inhabiting the cannibal lot. Peas have been planted inside walls and in troughs, and are slowly taking over the space. Roots intermingle with floorboards and tendrils wind themselves around lights. The plants are flowering and producing seed for the next round of growth. 

In the basement, the sower has planted an old root cellar/ coal storage with native grasses and forbs. She may expand to other areas of the house, including the bathroom, kitchen, and porch. She is also building a seed bank, collecting seeds and dried plant matter in the neighborhood. 

While the Sower is not present at the lot at the same time as visitors, they may happen upon photographic and video evidence of her activities.