Santa Cruz Island Reserve

09 Sep, 03 PM - 11 Sep, 04 PM

My proposal to conduct research at Santa Cruz Island involves usage of my personal compound light microscope, amateur telescope, and art materials, to develop drawings and paintings from the landscape on the island. Drawing on my laboratory experience as a biologist (Bachelor of Science, 2007), my engagement with painting (UCSB MFA candidate, 2017), and my fascination with our galaxy and beyond, my goal is to begin actively searching for patterns and paradigms between three visual layers. Using a telescope, I will observe activity in the sky, including planetary bodies, stars, constellations, etc. Based on these images (both captured from software and from observation) I will be making drawings. While in the field at the sites I visit, I will be preparing wet and dry mounts/samples extracted from the natural surroundings for study under a microscope, generating forms for the next layer of art-making. My observations about the interactions between forms of animal and plant life, my own actions as I traverse and consider these new terrains, the interplay of light, color and form in the landscape, etc. will compose the third visual layer for my work. My plan is to conduct field research at Santa Cruz Island. Santa Cruz Island (which has a field research station for UC students) is a biome that is relatively isolated from human interaction. The island has been chosen not only for its richness in biodiversity, but also for its history and current existence; including but not limited to the type of habitat, levels of human interference, historical narratives, and the indescribable energy inherent in the land and the wonders of exploring that potential. The observations and work I make at Santa Cruz Island could then be compared to the work performed at future sites. Questions about these individual works may inform or motivate new questions when viewing the body of work as a whole. By transcribing, developing, and ultimately abstracting my findings through drawing and painting, my hope is that these visual layers shape the index of the physical layers in my painting. Ultimately, this work may inspire new observations and questions about the ways we are forever related to everything around and beyond us, no matter what the scale. This research project is the basis for the competitive research grant I was recently rewarded with by the Claudia D. Weitlanner Fellowship at UCSB.

Visit #47449 @Santa Cruz Island Reserve

Approved

Under Project # 33838 | Research

Visual Activity at Three Scales: The Continuum Between Life & Landscape

graduate_student - University of California, Santa Barbara

Reservation Members(s)

Sunny Samuel Sep 9 - 11, 2016 (3 days)

Reserve Resources(s) | Create Invoice

Regular Bunkroom 1 Sep 9 - 11, 2016
Dock to Reserve Round-Trip 1 Sep 9 - 11, 2016
Vehicle Use - By Day 1 Sep 10 (8 hours)
Day Use Only 12 Sep 10 (8 hours)