Seamed Willow

Using tree stumps left behind from a cut weeping willow on ChaNorth’s grounds, I began a new series of frottage drawings. Residents from the previous month had preserved these remnants, repurposing them into stools scattered around the premises. Although the tree’s life had ended, its pieces were saved to live anew. I began drawing on top of the tree stumps, incorporating their texture into my rubbings. Eventually, I brought a piece of the willow's bark into my studio to use as a dedicated rubbing surface; soon enough, it became a treasured tool in my arsenal.

Simultaneously, I was working on my collage series Parallel | Night. I began using these collages as visual references for the rubbings, ultimately seaming them into a more fluid, continuous landscape. Utilizing the language of my printed archive—the branches, rocks, and water captured in my photographs—alongside the texture of the real-life willow’s bark, I built an otherworldly environment rooted in the concept of repurposing. This process of drawing imaginary terrains from my collages stems from an instinctual desire for mark-making—a way to construct entirely new worlds unbeknownst to us.