UC Irvine

An essay describing the realization of the thesis exhibition Afterlight. The writing describes two artworks included in the exhibition; Respiring Lawn, and Afterlight, as well as a collection of earlier works which informed the creation of the project. The piece explores topics related to the artworks such as historic lighthouse lens technology, contemporary lawncare technologies, beekeeping, Colony Collapse Disorder, invasive plant species, and the detrimental effects of pesticide use on the environment. The writing also dabbles in the spiritual connection to plants, bees, and technology; and investigates the contemporary influences of Dark Ecology upon ecologically-minded artmaking practices. The essay concludes by positing a theory on how artworks will exist and be utilized in the aftermath of the Sixth Extinction.