Lyza Baum and I decided to collaborate in the summer of 2020. Exhausted from months of isolation, we turned to each other and the land to heal.
I shared my photographic practice with Lyza and she shared her fascination with capturing essences, an ancient medicinal practice, with me. Our processes both value working with the land as a collaborator.
Barrington Beach, also know as Tillinghast or RISD Beach, holds special significance for both Lyza and I. It felt like the right place for us to create a project together.
We want to honor that this work was made with stolen land. Tillinghast Place and Mouscachuck Beach were taken by English colonistsfrom the Narragansett and Wampanoag people. The relationship we achieve through our work with this coastal habitat is only made possible by the genocide of Indigenous folx started by settlers; colonialism is a current ongoing process. The Indigenous people that live here in Rhode Island today are the rightful stewards of this land. We urge you to donate to the Tomaquag Museum, the only Indiginous-run museum in Rhode Island so they can continue to offer invaluable education on the Indigenous history, culture, arts and relationship to Mother Earth in our state: https://www.tomaquagmuseum.org/donate
