Constance Osuchowski & Tia Bennett
Herbarium
Herbarium is a suspended sculpture, that merges modern digital elements with historic photographic techniques. Its purpose is to explore the relationship between the female body and botany, inspired by women in art and science who have had a strong connection with plants, agriculture and botany. Our piece explores our connection with this, and the presumption that women are traditionally put into the role of ‘nurturer’ and what that means to us. The figure --made of acrylic, glass, wire, dried flowers and resin, and only visible from one view-point-- is like an exploded greenhouse, a structure that creates a hospitable environment where plants can grow. While the plants the figure shelters thrive, she herself is composed of shards of glass and plants that are dead and preserved, and she can’t quite find a balance between nurturing herself and the plants around her. The flowers in resin suggest that preserving oneself for viewing, like pressing a flower, may retain its beauty in the same way forever, but, it makes new growth impossible. Videos that juxtapose our own bodies and plants are then projected over the figure, fragmenting her even more around the space she hangs in.