In/Organic

In this work, I seek to reflect upon our relationship with nature, specifically the way in which we exist both with and against it. Through movement, light, and texture, I aim to both contrast synthetic and organic elements and create a nostalgic sense of simultaneous comfort and discomfort among the viewers.

The colors projected onto the trees represent the limited color range we are capable of seeing as the projections cycle through randomly selected complimentary colors. The synthetic nature of these lights represents the divide between humans and nature exacerbated by technology. By having these colors visible only at night, viewers must immerse themselves in the forest both during the day and the night to see the whole installation. As we often have limited relationships with forests and typically choose to be in them only when conditions are favorable, the ultimate goal of this aspect is to further expand upon the comfortable and uncomfortable aspects of being immersed in nature.

The texture on the trees is a direct reference to trypophobia, the fear of clusters of small bumps or holes, which is thought to stem from basic survival instincts. As humans have evolved, we have distanced ourselves from nature, but still these instincts linger. These trees both symbolise the deformation of nature from human hands and technology, and a state that is beautifully uncomfortable for viewers. I hope this part of the installation will push people to question their own roles in their environments and which natural instincts may be present in their everyday lives.

-Raven Larcom

Raven Larcom, In/Organic, Site Specific Installation in New Hampshire, Trees, Paint, Projection, 2020.