Statement
My work has shifted over the past decade as the public debate around environmental justice has come into sharper focus, and I have become increasingly invested in these issues. I have moved from purely symbolic language to using flora to investigate themes of loss, shifting landscapes, and environmental change. Our impact on the environment and declining biodiversity can be difficult to comprehend in the abstract, but focusing attention on an endangered, forest wildflower can evoke an intimate sense of loss. Most recently, I approached environmental change through a scientific lens, using data visualization techniques to inform the surface design. Data points become decorative marks that use the language of line, color, and form to record the impacts of human activity.
— Ursula Hargens