Opening: [De]Composition: Growing Ground by Skylar Perez

Skylar Perez: [De]Composition: Growing Ground
Opening Reception Saturday, September 30, 4-8 pm
On view: September 29–November 11, 2023

Co-Opt Research + Projects invites you to attend the opening reception on Saturday, September 30, 4-8 pm, of [De]Composition: Growing Ground, an exhibition of research into site-specific soil cultures, scales, and action, by Lubbock-born, New York-based spatial researcher and designer Skylar Perez.

This research investigates the contingent world of microbial life specific to the region of Llano Estacado, peering into the microscopic realm to collaborate with and observe these organisms unseen to the human eye. This is represented through an aerial view of the Llano Estacado landscape on the floor of the gallery, with glass sculptures containing local soils and living fungal communities, along with five MicroLandscapes cropped with prairie grasses, cotton, corn, sorghum, and site-specific soil microbes and agar growing in twelve-inch petri dishes.

“My work brings this hidden microbial urbanism to a human scale, allowing us to contend with the intricate pathways and communities that parallel a bustling city on an ecological time scale, directly beneath our feet. This work navigates through a network of interconnected scales, encompassing geologic time, water bodies, farming systems, and fungal networks. The works act as a catalyst to redefine our relationship with soil and the critical role it plays in our lives. By making time for soil care, I hope to reorient our relationship with the land and land management, particularly in the arid region of Llano Estacado, Lubbock, Texas.

“Soil is a vibrant, living entity teeming with microbial activity, contributing systematically to local ecosystems and the overall health of our planet. How do we build and nurture the foundation of life itself? Through art, science, and observation, I offer lenses that illuminate the unseen world beneath our feet and emphasize the urgency of soil care in a time when it’s needed more than ever.”