Gozertown (left, 2004) and Unimaginable Truth
(right, 2008). 26” x 38”. Mushroom spore on Artspectrum black paper. Images courtesy the artist.
JT: That is a beautiful idea, that pattern and
structure can imbue ethical behavior. I see
where you are going, but I’m reluctant to take
full ownership of that notion. I wish I could,
and perhaps this is evolution happening in
front of our noses. It’s always much messier at
the moment, isn’t it? But yes, there are countless examples of this type of exchange taking
place where artists are redefining our world in
scientific terms. But those terms are not always
resting within a neat field. Practices are overlapping, silos are collapsing, and osmosis is occurring in the walls of our disciplines. Think of
Steve Kurtz being arrested and then harassed by
the FBI for bioterrorism for his studio practice
of growing bacteria in his studio/lab in 2004, or
Brandon Ballengée’s public practice of collaborative amphibian field collection as public art.
These are quite literal and direct actions of artists using scientific practice to attempt to reveal
SciArt in America June 2014
not only scientific, but social truths. Perhaps
these actions don’t intentionally address your
idea, nevertheless they naturally lead us there.
I would venture to say that my work, since it
directly models pattern and structure, might
allow us to get there a bit quicker, but as for intentions, it’s anybody’s guess. Seldom do intentions and outcome synch up.
EK: Your mushroom spore drawings are beautifully
detailed in nature and often show the wafting of air
currents as the spores drop to the toothy paper you use
to capture the images. What is the process of making
a mushroom spore drawing? What role do you play in
making the image?
JT: It is a very direct process. Its origins lie in
the centuries old scientific practice of making
spore prints to identify funguses. I riffed on
that process.
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