Initial sketches

As this is technically a capstone project, Jess and I feel compelled (and are excited) to apply our project themes to Stanford's environment.  We are in the beginning stages of planning what is starting to look like the historical ecology of Stanford and contemporary perspectives about the landscape that we inhabit.  To capture those elements, we are going to gather information from multiple sources: Stanford's archives, local experts on local ecology, and student experiences.

I've attached a sketch of what we are hoping to accomplish.  However you perceive this image... add live flowers that are native to Stanford, pictures of both the past and present environment, and transcribed interviews.  It's going to be awesome!! 

Fellow classmate, Jess Eastling, and I have decided to collaborate on the project.  We have very similar project ideas and think that by combining our ideas we can create something with a far greater potential.  So far, so good!!  Here is a look at our thought map... 

Met with my artistic mentor last week to talk about the project and left (as always) feeling inspired and motivated.  Continuing the exploration of humans and nature, give me your thoughts on thier relationship or each as seperate entities-- can humans and nature have a truly symbiotic relationship? 

a little background...

To catch you up to speed, my journey began while doing soil chemistry research in Cambodia.  My work contributed to a project that is researching the fate of arsenic concentrations in Southeast Asia.  The project empowered me with a sense of altruism and it also reinvigorated my passion for studying the earth.  Not only was this case study an opportunity to offer critical solutions to people who don't have the resources to find them themselves, it also offered me a new perspective on the dynamic that we share with the earth.

Initially excited at the idea of exploring a new perspective, I have to admit that I was extremely intimidated.  The ideas that I wanted to explore were so simple that it was complicated-- the perfect riddle for a philosopher... Enter Heraclitus.

Heraclitus was an ancient Greek philosopher whose work focused on three main principles: flux, the unity of opposites, and the belief that all things are just manifestations of fire.   Specifically poignant for me was the discussion of the unity of opposites.  The unity of opposites is the belief that there are intrinsic qualities within ourselves that manifest themselves at different times and in different respects.  These statements resonated strongly with the natural cycles of the earth that I experienced closely in Cambodia: carbon, nitrogen, silicate, and even the dangerous arsenic concentrations found throughout Southeast Asia-- an example of the universe being a collection of "wholes and not wholes; brought together, pulled apart, sung in unison, song in conflict, from all things one and from one thing all."

Heraclitus' philosophy strengthened the platform for which I am basing my exploration and I am excited about making the philosophy my own.  Below is a photo of my lab notebook with my notes from Heraclitus.

Welcome, readers!

Hi everyone and welcome to my new blog!!

This blog was born out of a class that has inspired me to consider the relationship between humans the earth on a deeper, more intrinsic level.  All too often, we are flooded with discourse on how humans are impacting the earth.  What we overlook, however, is the instances in which the earth impacts humans.  The new perspective is intriguing and enlightening-- opening up new opportunities for us to understand the relationship with the entity that we are.

There are several objectives of the blog.  First, I hope that you will learn new things about humans and the earth and in turn gain a new perspective on the dynamics between them.  Second, I ask that all of you participate in the blog adventures.  Whether it be a comment on a post or an internal dialogue the success of this project is contingent upon your engagement!  Third, I will be using the blog to show you the development of my research and work on the project.  For me, the creative process has the potential to be as rewarding to the audience as it does to the artist and I look forward to sharing that with you.  And last but not least... Enjoy! 

Read on, bloggers!... Read on.

Sarah