Dispersal
Series of photographic portraits exploring the form and function of seed dispersal. Individually, each work is a fine art portrait illustrating the architecture of a fruit (seed pod). Collectively, the series reveals the staggering diversity of textures, colors, and forms that species have evolved in pursuit of survival and reproduction. I have collected all specimens myself, either in the wild or at participating botanic gardens and arboreta. Selected exhibitions & commissions include the Royal Botanic Garden Kew, London; Arnold Arboretum at Harvard University; University of California Botanical Garden at Berkeley; Los Angeles Natural History Museum. A text index of all species, listed alphabetically by scientific name, is here.
Organised by scientific name:
Australian blackwood (Acacia melanoxylon)
Cretanweed (Hedypnois rhagadioloides)
Lili magnolia (Magnolia liliiflora)
Yellow necklacepod (Sophora tomentosa)
Organised by partnering botanic garden or arboretum:
Chinese cork oak (Quercus variabilis)
Diplorhynchus condylocarpon
Cupid’s dart (Catanache caerulea)
Pencil cholla (Cylindropuntia ramosissima)
Organised by geography:
Hawaiian prickly poppy (Argenome glauca)
Jacaranda mimosifolia
Clematis sp.
Ribwort plantain (Plantago lanceolata)
I’ve written about the Dispersal photographs for the following publications:
INKQ a large-format quarterly newspaper about science & art, “Dispersal” // Issue 02 June 2018
Arnoldia Magazine of the Arnold Arboretum at Harvard, “Dispersal” // Volume 71, no. 2. Autumn 2013
Harvard Magazine Jan 2014 “The Sorcery of Seedpods” (interview & video)
Evolve Journal of The Ecology Center, “Seed Pods as Shelter” // Issue 09 Spring 2014
HYMN: FEAR the Laboratory Arts Collective, "Death in the Garden" // Issue IV 2014
Print. The Dispersal series was first published as a series of blog articles in Print magazine, "Botany Blueprint" // 2011-2012
above: Harvard Magazine
above: Evolve, Journal of The Ecology Center