Parasite
Sited installation, rocks with 200 resin-cast rock climbing holds, dimensions variable, 2003

For the Neuberger Public Art Biennial in 2003 these ideas came into play with Parasite, an outdoor piece where hundreds of bright blue resin-cast rock climbing holds were attached to low-lying rocks in a shaded grove. The bright blue "glow" seen at a distance seemed organic, like a carpet of bluebells or a fungus. When seen up close, the tumorous forms revealed themselves as highly unnatural. Rock climbing holds of this type are meant for indoor use to simulate rock surfaces for practice purposes; by attaching them to the very thing they are trying to imitate, they became parasites that called their naturalism into question.

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