Lisa Meek: Reflections on BiblioBotany
Artist Lisa Meek offers the following commentary on the inspiration and meaning behind her BiblioBotany sculptures. Read along as you peruse the artwork!
Oasis 1, 2 and 3
"Little by little, we chip away the land. Land that lies fallow. We want our own acre, our slice of the pie with a manicured green yard and a two-car garage. We want another shopping center to amuse us and cater to our desires. So, we chip away at what’s left for the birds, insects and animals. One less tree, one less bush and one less weed. The oasis becomes smaller and smaller, further away from the next. It can’t last. It can’t sustain what we truly need (not want)."
The Imperfect Garden
"I love the sight of an orderly row of brightly colored impatiens, so cheerful and abundant in their growth. They’re not much good for bees or anything else really, but they sure are pretty. The jewel weed is in the same family! It is native and thrives. Its beautiful orange and yellow blossoms are magnificent. Bees adore it. Its edible seeds pop like coiled springs when touched, spraying their bounty. Its seeds feed birds and small animals, while caterpillars munch on its leaves. It grows abundantly, is hardy through winter and reseeds itself. So, which makes for a more perfect garden?"
Monet’s Garden
"Monet’s beautiful garden. Imagine our world slowly melting away with waters rising and new climate zones created. Will climate change erase these stunning ponds of waterlilies, replacing them with the tropical plants of Gauguin? Each artists’ paintings are so amazing. Imagine a life without the possibility of both in this world. The water lilies and horsetails were made from the pages of Climate Change: The Facts."
1984
"In this piece, each plant is a carnivorous species. The fact that a plant could eat something never fails to fascinate and horrify. We watch as insects and other small creatures step into the traps of these very 'unplant-like' plants. We cannot believe it is happening and we cannot look away. Given the current world we live in, Freud would have had a field day interpreting our 21st century dreams. This sculpture was made from 1984 and The Interpretation of Dreams."
The Ark
"On the tundra of Norway there is a massive construction known as the Svalbard Global Seed Vault. It was designed to preserve seeds from around the world as a form of insurance against catastrophic events that might wipe out plant species we have come to depend on. This sculpture was made from SAS Survival Handbook and The Genesis Flood. The seed vault reminds me of Noah’s ark. Our destiny is in our own hands. Who survives will be determined by who is most prepared. Regardless of human survival, I feel plants will make it. The flowers chosen for this piece are medicinal or edible. The blue forget-me-nots are self-explanatory."
Recycle bale
"Reduce. Reuse. Recycle. All our good intentions of recycling have not solved the plastics problem. Our oceans are filling up with visible and microscopic plastics. This sculpture is meant to represent the large bales created at U.S. recycling plants, which are then sent off to China, Vietnam and other countries. Our intentions to recycle have only created waste dumps and toxic burning of our recyclables that simply can’t be recycled. Until we aggressively address the reduction of all plastics there can be no improvement, and we are already in the midst of an environmental crisis related to what we have already put out there. This work was made with ONLY reused books from previous projects and second-hand books on the plastics crisis."
Non native
"Elegant, beautiful tea roses: origin, China; metallic emerald green. Japanese beetles: origin, Japan. Both are non-native. So, neither belongs in our world? Every living being (including humans) is invasive and non-native at some point in time. We simply don’t have a long enough memory to respect and accept that this is how nature works."
Tree of Life
"Without the tree, where would the epiphytes be? Such selfless giving of space in its nooks and crannies allow habitat for orchids and other beauties we cherish. The flowers are Dendrobium nobile."
Water
"'Hydrangea' comes from the Greek word for 'water jar.' It is associated with gratitude, understanding and apology. Water on this earth is so precarious. Sometimes too much and sometimes too little, but always necessary. Floods destroy quickly and droughts destroy slowly. Nature is very used to these wide swings and adapts as necessary when allowed. She stores it, cleans it and replenishes it without our help. We come along and make a mess of a perfect design. We dam rivers, drain marsh lands and pave over acres and acres of land. Then we watch in horror at the catastrophic results that are inevitable. We should send a bouquet of hydrangeas to mother nature, as we have a lot to apologize for."
Collector
"We like to collect things. Some collect the rare or unique, while hoarders keep every scrap that they can lay their hands on. What is in our DNA that drives us to obtain 'things'? Rarity and quantity determine the value to the collector. The harder it is to get, the sweeter the conquest. Does the philatelist’s adrenaline rise while hunting and capturing the elusive stamp? Is amassing a 17,000 Barbie collection noteworthy? Human behavior is so intriguing. Interestingly, we aren’t alone in this behavior. Magpies and crows collect shiny objects for their nests. Pack rats (the animal) also like to collect and will actually drop an object they were collecting if they see something they like better. Again, this DNA thing is fascinating. In this piece there are seven rare and/or endangered flowers and two common flowers. We have created rarity by destroying habitats (Snowdonia hawkweed, Liem’s lady slipper and the Gibraltar campion), but we have also cultivated the Juliette rose, Parrot’s beak, Chocolate cosmos and the Kadupul flower. So many collector coffee table books went into this piece, and I can’t remember them all. The flowers were created from the pages of Possession, Stuff, and Have and to Hold."
Pharmocopeia
"When we are well, we do not want to see the doctor. We spend billions of dollars on herbal supplements and other non-traditional treatments to stay well. Chinese medicine and old-world remedies abound in the plant world. Many of these plants are the basis for currently recognized and legitimate treatments. For example, digitalis (a heart medication) was derived from foxglove. When we are not well, we are desperate for our doctors to pull something from their pharmacopeia or medical bag to help us. All flowers in this piece are used as herbal remedies and some have been legitimized by making their way into the Physicians' Desk Reference (PDR). This sculpture was made from PDR and The Green Witch."
PSA (Public Service Announcement)
"This is not connected to a wastewater treatment facility. This is a storm drain. It simply connects directly to the nearest stream, river, marsh or lake for drainage of rainwater. Period. That’s it. Dog poop on tree lawns, grass clippings blown to the road, herbicides, pesticides, fertilizers and dirty buckets of water all go directly to your 'fresh' water. Enough said. The yellow orange flower is Bird’s Foot Trefoil. The trefoil is the symbol for radiation hazard and biohazard. Chickweek (fidelity and love), corn speedwell (danger and healing), sparganium eurycarpum (marsh plant) and seedlings. This sculpture was made from Water Supply and Pollution Control and Environmental Regulation: Law, Science, and Policy."
