Transplant

2019

Tobacco leaves and fabric over bamboo, rice paper and foam

8.5 x 12 x 2 feet

Photo Credit: Greg Staley

The tobacco wrapping this piece refers to that crop’s role in the history of Virginia, where I live now. As the title indicates, it also has to do with how & why I moved to Virginia, as well as my childhood in Ohio, where split rail fences were common. Raised up on the wall, with vintage plaid stripes, it becomes an impossibly high jump, raising issues of class distinctions. It’s also about the perseverance of nature, and the futility of our efforts to control it. For example, it’s amazing to me how trees are able to grow out of a crack in the sidewalk, and given enough time, break it into pieces.