Yoko Kanayama's Urban Forestry
My projects often begin when I notice something mundane and ordinary. In my project entitled "Urban Forestry", I am planning to present 16 color photographs of unusually large Ficus trees located within different neighborhoods of Los Angeles.
Ficus trees were originally planted along the sidewalks in Los Angeles because of their evergreen-nature, lack of falling leaves, and their potential for providing shades on the sidewalk. I have been documenting these trees for the past year in an attempt to bring more awareness to our urban landscape. Ironically, after some experimentation, I discovered that the best way to draw attention to these trees was to make them absent, by erasing their presence from the photographs.
Your award would make it possible for me to complete this project. This would involve completing the last remaining 7 images. Completion would include: printing the images, making the silkscreens, and framing for the images to exhibit the project in its entirety.
Yoko Kanayama is a Los Angeles, CA based artist and is a honorable mention in Center's 2010 Project Launch Award
