Ghost Trees

NATURE IN ABSENTIA: The Arboreal Ethereal addresses biodiversity loss alongside the cyclical migrations of plants and animals, with the mass relocations of societies driven by climate change. The work is structured around a material inversion: fibers from non-native or so-called “invasive” species are transformed into handmade paper forms of the native species they often displace. By subverting ecological hierarchies shaped by colonial histories, the series challenges narratives of purity and eradication, proposing regeneration and coexistence as culturally informed models for environmental stewardship.

To address the impacts of globalization, over-development, and climate-driven migration, I developed the series NATURE IN ABSENTIA during the pandemic shutdown, when the slowing down of urban life and human intervention revealed the resilience of nature.

Working primarily with handmade paper, I regenerate local and non-native natural detritus into pulp and sculptural forms imbued with historical, biological, and cultural meaning. The Arboreal Ethereal focuses on casting fallen or blighted native trees with translucent handmade paper turned inside out, absorbing elements of the trees’ original surfaces as ghostly reanimations of loss.