The Cabin and The Direct Democracy Collective
The Cabin is the centerpiece of my show join us in the forest. It is a storehouse operated by the Direct Democracy Collective, a fictive Eco-resistance group. It contains objects of resistance that operate as proxies for activist action, proposing a future where an artist collective rises up against tyranny. To that end, under the auspices of the Direct Democracy Collective, defensive and offensive objects have been fabricated. Aluminum or steel armor that “camouflages” itself into the trees, saboteur's boots that operate as heavy implements for smashing up machinery, Molotov cocktail kits, or seed bombs that spread poison ivy over a worksite, hindering destructive acts. Other, ephemeral interventions designed to confuse would-be land developers are also in use. In a time when the federal government is attempting to sell off public land for private, malicious purposes, I am exploring methods of resisting further unnecessary industrialization, Beginning with research into movements like Stop Cop City and Defend The Atlanta Forest, this work explores activist methods for ecological defense, and their subsequent aestheticisations. The aspirations of activist groups are examined, and pseudo-utilitarian objects are produced as gestures towards what problems I believe ordinary people should be attempting to solve.
Click here to download a list of the artworks included in The Cabin.