Kerry Wilson
Undergraduate, Visual Art Studies
Network
mixed media including paint, liquid frisket, and leaves
This piece emphasizes the value of communication throughout both the ecosystem and civilization. I recently had the pleasure of listening to Hannah Gutner, fellow student in the School of Natural Resource and Conservation, give a speech concerning a fungus known as mycelia. This fungus covers all the roots in a forest system. As a dying sapling releases chemicals, the mycelia will carry this signal to the healthier trees deeper in the forest. These trees then send nutrients to the struggling sapling. Just like trees, mankind has a deep-rooted system of communication. Thus, I found my inspiration in the vein like structure of the mycelia. We should live symbiotically, knowing that communication is the key to knowledge and pluralism.
The work stands boldly on a 7’x7 ½’ canvas, painted an earthy black. Gold-plated leaves carefully cover vein like strands. From a closer look, the leaves have different shapes and shades of gold. The strands produce an image comparable to a brain MRI, whose veins trail off to the left. This prompts us to ask: are we appreciating the diversity of communication on this planet and allowing it to grow, or are we suppressing it and letting it die?
