About the projects

Invasive species are introduced into new environments for a variety of reasons: to expand crops, beautify gardens, and control pests. Or: accidentally as part of globalized travel and trade. The kudzu vine is a prime example of a plant that can invade its environment and slowly take it over.

Plastic has likewise thoroughly invaded our lifestyles. It is in virtually everything we use: clothes and shoes, toys and tools, food shipping and storage containers. Plastic has filled garbage dumps to overflowing and created hundred-mile toxic gyres in our oceans. In our pursuit of consumerism, we have allowed our lives to be taken over by a harmful material that we cannot discard without creating massive environmental hazards.

In this installation, I created kudzu vine leaves to engulf an older building with its uncontrollable growth. The leaves were made of crocheted plastic bags which climbed and slowly "choked" the structure with their invasive growth. The installation was done in Wisconsin and in Taiwan.