PALMER CRIPPEN
Undergraduate, Plant Science and Visual Arts Studies
The Pinecone Tapestry
pinecones, glue
The Pinecone Tapestry is made from pinecones sourced from the University of Florida campus. The pinecones belong to the biodiversity of pine tree species native to the Southeast United States, such as the long leaf pine, loblolly pine, slash pine, pond pine, and sand pine. The surrounding environment influenced the appearance of the cones by changing their colors through erosion or by changing their surface through the dispersal of lichen spores on to them. By cutting and gluing each pinecone scale one-by-one, I was able to learn first-hand about the structures and shapes of the cones.
This piece compiles those subtle nuances into a massive textural pattern. The dismemberment of the pinecone and its rearrangement onto a tapestry entitles the viewer to comprehend and appreciate the intricate complexity of seemingly average aspects of plant biology. Being as all the pinecones originate from the Southeast, the tapestry also acts as a botanical portrait and document of Alachua County, and of Gainesville.
