Coming Down to Earth: DM Witman
Coming Down to Earth:
DM WITMAN
DM Witman’s grid of sepia-toned gum bichromate prints reference photography’s early scientific applications in the cataloging of biological specimens.
With Index, I draw upon my past experiences as a field biologist to process grieving around the impending loss we are facing as the result of climate change. These photograms serve as a record for what once was of the flora of a small patch of intertidal marsh of the St. George River. Reminiscent of herbarium records, the flora are memorialized and serve as a baseline against the impending change of increasing temperatures and rising waters. My small area of intertidal marsh will not be spared and will bear impact of these changes.
Regarding memento mori, Geoffrey Batchen noted, ‘…Such objects seek to remember a loved one, not as someone now dead, but as someone who was once alive, young and vital, with a future before them. In this kind of object, they will always have that future, a comforting thought, perhaps, for those who have been left behind.’
It is my hope that art such as this can serve as a conduit for a collective experience to develop a stronger sense of love and commitment to the places, the systems, the flora & fauna that inspire, nurture, and sustain us.
Deanna is a transdisciplinary artist working with photographic media, video, and installation. Her work explores climate disruption and the impacts of human influence on ecological and societal webs.
Her research and creative practice are deeply rooted within the realm of the effects of human impacts on this world, and most recently, “ecological grief”. The world is experiencing a time of extraordinary ecological loss - of species, habitat, ecological connectivity, and personal connection to the natural world. As individuals and communities deal with the shifts in the physical environment, so too, must we deal with the psychological and existential changes to ourselves and our communities.
Living along the banks of the St. George River in Maine is where the verdant greens and the shifting tides inspire her.
Her work has been exhibited internationally, and she is the recipient of grants from Maine Arts Commission, The John Anson Kittredge Fund, and The Kindling Fund (a re-grantor for The Warhol Foundation).
Coming Down to Earth will be on view at Candela Gallery through April 23, 2022.