Exhibition

Botanica Poetica - September 25, 2015 - Sunday, January 31, 2016 at the Project Space Gallery, Montalvo Arts Center, Saratoga, California

Fieldworks created several interactive works for this exhibition Botanica Poetica.  Curator Donna Conwell invited viewers "to reflect on the ill-defined boundary between the natural and unnatural, and the intimate entanglement between human history and the landscapes that surround us."


 

Fieldworks Lab Installation

A display from our studio laboratory containing the collection of objects we gathered while traversing Montalvo’s grounds and hiking trails, represented our ongoing investigations stemming from curiosities, interests and memories. Inspired by wunderkammern (cabinets of curiosity) our collections included assortments of natural and man-made found objects.

We engaged happenstance theory to create three different taxonomies: a. aesthetic attractions, b. evidence and c. unplanned events, to display our sensory, aesthetic and poetic associations. Our Lab collection on view changed over time as the exhibition aged in place. (Metal & glass cabinets, wooden shelves and tables)

 


ColorField Station_sm.jpg

 

Colorfield Station

A data visualization project activating a collective investigation of color complexities in the natural world. Viewers were invited to make their own color swatches to add to the display, offering an a multi-perspective view of the ever-shifting chromatic array of Montalvo’s trails and gardens across several seasons. (Wall-mounted redwood board structure 4’ 6” x  3’ with 96 stainless steel 1” pegs and watercolor tags)

 

 

 

 

 


 

Fieldstudy Station

A public art work commissioned by Montalvo as an ongoing outdoor interactive installation located on Montalvo’s mountain trailhead.  6’8” x 6’ x 1’10” Redwood display system with shelves, chalkboards, participant instructions and self-guided curiosity tour recommendations.  

 

Articles and citations:

Botanica Poetica Curatorial Statement / Donna Conway

The Mercury News / Khalida Sarwari