Archipelagic Seed
Archipelagic Seed is a meditation on environmental sustainability, cultural appropriation, and the possibility of a more equitable future. The work subverts traditional methods of specimen presentation often seen in art and natural history institutions, using everyday materials—such as Mylar, lava rock, brass chain, and fog machines—commonly found in department stores and aquarium shops. At the heart of the piece is a phalaenopsis orchid, suspended above a pool of water, its delicate form floating like a fragment of earth, partially obscured by a gently rolling fog.
Drawing inspiration from Édouard Glissant’s concept of Archipelagic Thought, the artwork reflects on interconnectedness and the porous boundaries between cultures, nature, and histories. Just as Glissant’s thought emphasizes the fluidity of islands in an archipelago, Archipelagic Seed critiques the rigid, racialized capitalist structures that reframe sacred materials as commodities of imperialist desire. In this work, there is a desire for a more sustainable and reciprocal relationship with the environment—one that recognizes the inherent value of all things and advocates for a future that is not defined by extraction and exploitation, but by care, respect, and equity. The floating orchid becomes a symbol of resilience and transformation, inviting reflection on the potential for healing in both our relationship to the earth and to each other.
An Ethereal Night of Coming Together
Taylor Lewandowski
December 23, 2021
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The mental fog began to recede as I stared at this neon piece, Rolling Stone: Musicians on Musicians, by Tillman Reyes and Bryn Jackson’s Archipelagic Seed and thought about my childhood in Fillmore, Indiana; an acid trip in Las Vegas; and the claustrophobic feeling of wearing a mask in a grocery store. An ambient DJ played music in the corner, pushing me further into self-introspection until I started talking to a mailman still in his uniform drinking a beer. He had recently moved back to Indianapolis from Massachusetts. He dreamed of moving to Pensacola, sitting on the beach, hanging out near the military base, and delivering mail. I often wonder if there is a spirituality in looking at art. The mailman professed bewilderment when it comes to art, even when I told him, “All you do is look and feel. That’s it.” No need to posture. You can only be yourself. All you can do is absorb, respond, and hope to delve closer to a refined honesty, opening wide a space you thought was no longer there.
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