I SPREAD
A piece for Light Grey Art Lab's Botanica exhibition.
One of the oldest and largest known living organisms on the planet is a colony of quaking aspen trees in Utah named Pando – latin for "I spread". At first look, Pando’s 47,000 stems appear to be an entire forest, rather than a single organism. In actuality, each tree is linked by a series of underground roots estimated to be 80,000 years old. Those ancient roots regularly clone and sprout new branches through the soil and into the Utah sunshine. This piece explores the interconnected and seemingly infinite nature of Pando, whose regenerative abilities enabled its survival far beyond the scope of most life on Earth.
Learn more about the exhibition at lightgreyartlab.com/botanica
Pen & Ink on Bristol, 2016