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Unbound Ground Artist Statements

Reckoning Paradise

Sandra Budd

The painting, Reckoning Paradise examines the many paradigms surrounding our understanding of living organisms. The focal point of this piece is a cyborg bird encircled by various species of Birds of Paradise, which it is designed to simulate. The painting questions our understanding of the interactions, interdependency and evolutionary processes that maintain even the simplest life forms. The question is not if we can create new organisms, but how they might impact the millions of life forms that already exist. The cyborg bird might embody physical and behavior characteristics of the Birds of Paradise but can it truly interact or survive effectively in the environment it was designed for. Reckoning Paradise reminds us to proceed with humility, as we become more sophisticated in our ability to manipulate and create new life forms.

The Extinction Store

Shaila Christofferson and Laleh Mehran

The core concept of The Extinction Store is nature as a capitalist, consumerist cultural construct and product. Where once samples from nature were collected and organized in a cabinet of curiosities — used for observation, enlightenment and education — this piece will provide a contemporary equivalent of a perfectly preserved synthetic nature. The vehicle for this concept will be a mock chain retail unit that one finds in any strip mall across America. Here the consumer has access to a variety of products, which highlight the current global crisis of extinction of resources and plant and animal life. These products are produced by (or appear to be produced by) the same types of materials and processes that are the primary cause of our crippled ecological state. Many of the products are made from synthetic materials, in the most unnatural of colors and textures. These products are for sale on opening night.

Toxic Vernacular

Steffi Domike, Suzanne Meyer, and Ann Rosenthal

Toxic Vernacular documents repeated journeys to small towns and flowing waters in the Pittsburgh region. Using cloth, photography, and mock postcards, this project collects and reflects upon the degradation of Pittsburgh area rivers and streams. In a backyard in Petrolia, beyond the shade of an apple tree, loom the stacks of the Crompton Corporation Petrolia plant. Downstream is the Bruin Lagoon,designated as number 3 on the EPA's list of most hazardous waste sites in the U.S. From Nine Mile Run to Chartiers Creek, from the Allegheny to the Ohio rivers, the waters remove the silt, sewage, and industrial wastes from our backyards. It's everyday. It's ordinary. It's our toxic vernacular.

Mayflies in June: River Spirits Return

Stephanie Flom

Mayflies in June: River Spirits Return is an installation of paper cut-outs celebrating the Mayfly as a symbol of renewal. Last June, thousands of adult Mayflies emerged from the Allegheny River to mate. Extremely pollution-sensitive, this is the first time this order (Ephemeroptera) descended on our city in 105 years. Traditional cultures held great stock in the power of river fairies; they were considered protective spirits because of their association with rain, water and fertility. This installation embraces Mayflies as enchanting spirits who stir our imaginations. They are testament to the fact that the rivers are not only returning to life with flora and with fauna but also with magic and with myth.

Toxicodendron radicans

Reiko Goto

Toxicodendron radicans is a documentation of spending time with a plant. "I have been thinking that my relationship to nature is too easy, too casual. I have decided to befriend a very special plant that provides shelter and food to insects, birds and mammals. I am intrigued by the power of this life form and its resistance to human attempts to control, manipulate or manage it. The name of the plant is Toxicodendron radicans. The plant is known as poison ivy." This work includes plant specimens and video documentation of the artist touching leaves and otherwise interacting with this most despised of our native flora.

Source of Power 3

Constance Merriman

Source of Power 3 addresses issues which involve mountaintop removal methods of coal mining which are currently dangerously impacting the people and environment of the Appalachian mountain range. This coal mining activity has a devastating impact on the environment and perpetuates economic exploitation of the people and landscape of that region.

The Waterfall

Cindy Snodgrass

The Waterfall is a large-scale site work that combines the intangible aspects of wind and water with the tangible manifestations of art. The images employed in this work are drawn from the artist’s workshops with school children and neighborhood groups. The work, displayed on the exterior of the Children’s Museum is comprised of colorful flags that are attached to metal cables. The background documentation is on display at the Brew House.

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