Dismal Cycle: California Flora

Dismal Cycle: California Flora is a piece that illustrates the transformation of California land use by its inhabitants over time. Intended to serve as a visual timeline, the drawing starts with California’s oldest plant life in the center and spirals outward, displaying native plants tended to and utilized by various native California tribes and concluding with non-native plants introduced by European settlers, missionaries, and plants that represent the monoculture of today’s farming industry. I am interested in exploring how we in today’s society have become so disconnected with our environment, that it has become second nature to tune out the consequences of our actions. In doing research for this project I have learned a lot about the history of land use and attitudinal changes towards the environment over time. Perhaps by learning about the ways in which we have impacted our environment, we can reconnect and preserve what remains of the land for future generations.Dismal Cycle: California Flora is dedicated to Allan Sekula. The title Dismal Cycle is a nod to Allan Sekula’s influential work Dismal Science, which traces the connections between everyday life and the global economic system.

Miyo Stevens-Gandara, 2016