Coalesce
2020

This series began in February, right after I returned from teaching in Europe. I became aware of the virus right before returning home, and no one really knew what was happening, how safe it was to travel, etc. The process of creating these pieces was interrupted by the presence of Covid-19 on the shipyard, which has now cleared. The series was completed this summer.

The original source for this series was the glial cells – in particular, those that tell us where we are – that give us proprioception (self-sensing) and help us feel ourselves and feel our volume and shape. 

Now I can see that the images are also influenced by awareness of the microbiome – which is part of our physiology and supports our immunity.  We have myriad friendly bacteria that help us sustain health.

In the long run (where are we running?) I see this series as more metaphorical, about the experience of being in a body, the complexity of the identity – who am I really?  How do I perceive my body as I move, and what are all the communities of cells, including microbes, that allow me to have a life. We exist as a living community.  Coalescing is an ongoing life process.