Green Lining - School of Art and Art History
2009
Katerie Gladdys, Assistant Professor- School of Art and Art History, transforms mapped landscapes and familiar interactions into alternative geographies. Slash and burn land clearing in Florida provides an optimal habitat for edible weeds. This piece is a micro-video documenting the tragedy, irony, and possible redemption of these landscapes.
Rampant land development—condominiums, churches, and subdivisions— marks/mars the Florida landscape and is part of the ongoing history of the state. Before the recession, developers cleared land at a breathtaking pace. Forest and ranch land one week, strip mall and suburban homes following. What was there will never be as it was. One land clearing practice is to slash, bulldoze, and burn destroying entire ecosystems. Next, a road replete with a cul-de-sac is etched into the landscape, followed by hydrants and signage purposing the land into sale-able lots.
With the advent of the recession, the cleared land is left to its own devices, providing a habitat for edible weeds and creating a slim “green lining” in light of greater destruction. The research for this piece was done with the assistance of Susan Marynowski of the Alachua County Native Plant Society. The piece consists of micro-videos that document the tragedy, irony, and possible redemption of these landscapes left fallow by the recession.