The Seed of Life Art Installation (2024)
Seeds: Seven small casted seeds, tree branch, Three large casted seeds.
Photos: Included are 24 photos capturing the intricate beauty of mangroves and the stages of a growing seed. These images reflect the resilience, growth, and ecological significance of mangroves, aligning with my ongoing exploration of nature’s cycles and environmental themes in art.
Glass: Glass casting facilitated at 1000 Degrees Studio, using recycled Oceanside Compatible glass
I have observed, sketched and photographed the development of a growing mangrove shoot from a seed which has occurred through kayaking trips to the mangroves over the last three years. I have also cultured a germinating seed in a small glass jar in my studio.
I have discovered intimacy with the mangroves in being consistent in a practice of kayaking, seeing, sketching, painting, lambworking, casting and carving wax across many hours; the process for creating these 10 seeds. The mangrove seed symbolises birth and a rebirth, hope and a beginning of life. With this work I want to represent the beauty of the mangroves.
The use of recycled glass in this installation, filled with natural bubbles, symbolises the seeds growing within the waterways of the mangroves, reinforcing the connection between the material and the environment.
Through photographs and watercolour sketches I captured the form’s transformation—how the seed opened like a flower and as roots began to grow. The shape of the seed, reminiscent of the female vagina, inspired my representation of the mangrove as a nurturing and dynamic life force.