[-empyre-] empyre Digest, Vol 126, Issue 13

[hello at alanabartol.com]

Thank you Natasha, Patrick and Florian for your insights, comments and questions. I will try to speak to some of my experiences in the suit…
 
When I began the “un-camouflagings”, there was an immediate shift in the speed of my movements. I felt a need to slow down, which allowed me to feel my body and recognize the various ways in which I experience my surroundings through all of my senses. With limited vision (my face is completely covered), I quickly become attuned to the sounds and smells of the environment. It was sometimes awkward to move into various spaces as the suit began to pick up sticks, burrs and other organic matter. Making my way through the brush, I would soon find a spot to ‘settle’. By allowing myself to be still and just “be” among grasses, plants and trees, I became attuned to the shifts in temperature and light, the smell of the air. The suit/my body became a landscape within a landscape, as I began to notice the movement of insects within and on top of my “second skin”: a spider taking a hurried tour of my arm or a small beetle clumsily navigating its way through a web of threads at the base of my foot. 
 
There is a sense of play and mischief as I find my way in and out of the green. All the while, the non-human life I encounter seems to move on and over me, oblivious to my presence. At times, I try not to disturb my surroundings but it is impossible as the outside shapes my form and I shape it in return. 
 
In the suit, I see myself as an imposter, still separated from the life around me, attempting to learn its mystery through a kind of mimicry. I do not feel “reunited” with plants in these experiences because from a young age, I was taught that plants were something to be kept and maintained outside. In the suit, I appear to be a plant/human hybrid, an otherworldly monster but I am still very much human and of this world. Throughout my adult life, I began to garden, hike, camp and rock climb and all of these experiences allowed me to learn about plants and the environment. I still have a lot to learn. 
 
The distribution of seeds or buds may occur as I move into and out of various environments but if so, it is not intentional. At the end of many excursions, I go through the suit and pick out the leaves, debris and plant matter that becomes enmeshed in the suit. Repairs are made and new threads or plants are woven and tied in. 
 
In “Un-camouflaging #16 and #15”, I came upon a stretch of sidewalk where there were no plants in the planters. Finally seeing an opportunity to insert myself into the urban landscape, I climbed into the planter and stood, immobile and still. People began to take photographs. Others came close to me and asked what I was doing: Look at this guy? What the hell? This guy is crazy! What’s he doing? 
 
Two young men stood in front of me in the planter crossing their arms in a kind of “tough guy” stance while their friend took a cell phone photo. I did not move or respond. “Thanks” they said, glancing up at me. I then heard their astonishment as they noticed my painted pink toenails. Almost everyone assumes Ghillie is male.
 
Do we notice when trees aren’t there? Do we experience treeless streets differently? What if vegetal life could enter and exit built environments at will? What can mimicry teach us about “being plant-like”? These were not a primary questions when I began this work but have since become part of my investigations.
 
It is interesting that you mention Land/Side: Possible Futures. Although I was not able to see the exhibition, I have had many conversations about it having worked with a few of the artists included (Camille Turner and Lisa Myers) on separate projects. I think it is important that we recognize the work of curators, artists, cities, organizations and communities that make exhibitions like Land/Slide and Restless Precinct possible. These sites might also be referred to as “Third Landscapes”, the term Clément proposes to categorize the abandoned or transitional spaces, neglected land, roadsides, former industrial areas or nature reserves. In Windsor and Detroit, I often come across fallow areas where vegetal life has reclaimed the built environment, cracking concrete and smashing through glass windows. Opportunities that invite artists to research, explore, create and intervene in public spaces (particularly outdoor spaces), allow us to imagine possibilities while revealing the social and spatial histories of these sites, including the non-human beings that inhabit, move through and utilize these environments. 
 
Anyhow, these are just some of my immediate thoughts and reflections. Thank you all for your comments and I will continue to think further. I also wanted to thank you Florian for the link to your thesis. I will be sure to read it!