A Tale of Two Quercus

white oak craftboard, ceramics, found branches, oak gall ink, paper, DNA extraction beads. 2023

This artwork is inspired by my senior thesis work in a biology lab about genetic markers to differentiate native and non-native white oaks in Portland, OR. As the topic of species origin in North America is not only one about conservation ecology, but also immigration and colonialism, I wanted to find a way to tell the backstory of my biology research that conbines both perspectives.
This piece is an artificial reconstruction of the body of a Quercus individual– a box made from Oregon white oak craft boards holding the following items:

• Ceramic plates (made from locally sourced clay) with leaf engravings;
• Oak branches collected from Portland parks;
• Iron gall ink made from oak galls collected from Oaks Bottom Wildlife Refuge;
• A booklet with an overview of my project, annotated with gall ink writings;
• Lab supplies used in my experiments.

The conception and construction process of this work is also a practice of my own in learning to interact with and represent my relationship with forms and materials. It is a product of my interpretation of how I transformed the information and experiences generated from Quercus to a body of knowledge.