Cultivate (2011-2015)
- We shot the portraits on Dec 30, 2011. It was freezing. We were inside of a barn, so that helped a little bit but even with the extra layers of clothes, socks, and shoes hidden under the dress, we didn't last longer than an hour outside.
I started building the evergreen collar at the end of January 2013. I had hopes of shooting this collar in the snow, but unfortunately, the snow came too quickly and then I became to impatient to see if it would actually snow again.
The succulent collar was constructed in May 2014 and in one weekend. I shot the images the next day so they I could finish the back of the piece. I was afraid that they dry out, and to my surprise, they stayed alive for weeks.
The collars were completed, initially, only in the front. The back was finish after the shoot took place, and was presented as a sculpture in the final exhibition.