THESIS SHOW | MAY 2021 | UNIVERSITY OF OREGON
ILLICIT ENTAGLEMENTS
My thesis, Illicit Entanglements, explores the interactions between humans and plants, especially ones we have deemed to be illicit. Inspired by Michael Pollen's book Botany of Desire, I examine our relationship with opium poppies, marijuana, coca, and tobacco. Unlike the potato, wheat, or corn, these illicit plants tap into our intrinsic desire to change our state of consciousness. They show the volatility and complexity of our relationship with the natural world.
What drew me to these specific plants was their power and influence over humans and the repercussions of their production. The human desire to cultivate other plants, such as corn or wheat, is less complex. These plants provide easy nutrients, and in many ways are responsible for the growth and development of society. The relationship between humans and plants that produce drugs is much more complex and hinges on desire, consciousness, and expanding our perception of the world. These plants are just as crucial to the development of society as corn or wheat. It is theorized that the earliest use of naturally occurring drugs was in central Asia by mushroom fertility cults. They worshiped the mushroom Amanita muscaria, commonly known as the fly agaric mushroom and some scholars believe that these cults could have influenced early Christianity. In addition to ceremonial or religious uses, these plants have influenced philosophy, medicine, art, culture, and rituals around the world.
Natrual History of Desire
Their profound influence on human society over time has created a fascinating dynamic between humans and the existence of these plants. In my piece Natural History of Desire, I explore the rise and fall of the production of opium poppies, marijuana, tobacco, and coca from 1825 to the present day. I chose to use these plants due to the expansive documentation of their cultivation and prohibition. Every 6 inches of this 15-foot paper sculpture represents 25 years. The size of each plant cutout is determined by the percent increase in global production every 10 years. In this work, you can see the influence these four plants had over modern politics, laws, and society as a whole.
Panacea/Panapathogen
My second piece, Panacea/Panapathogen, is less analytical and examines the physical and emotional relationships we have with these plants. The title is a reference to Botany of Desire and the concept that every society has illicit drugs that are deemed socially acceptable and ones that are prohibited and criminalized. I find the prohibition of an entire species to be fascinating and indicative of how humans have a deep desire for control. On the other hand, we also crave these plants and they benefit from our desires. I enjoy the idea of plants using us and reversing the egotistical notion that natural organisms benefit from human intervention. The plants have benefited from the mass cultivation of their species, however, they are not dependent on it, and in this relationship, they have more power over us than we have over them. The use of red in this work is symbolic of blood and the natural defenses many plants and animals use to communicate that they are poisonous. Despite the adverse and even deadly effects of these plants, we continue to consume them.
This show is my perception and visual depiction of the control these “illicit” plants have over us and how our fascinating co-evolution taps into our most human desires. In our modern world, where we may feel apart from or dominant over the natural world, it is important to contemplate how we are not separate from nature. It will always influence every aspect of our lives and our connection to it is the one thing we all have in common.