Displaced
To an Oklahoman, land is the most valuable asset one can have. Not only is it something that can be passed from generation to generation, it is also one of the few things that one may have left if all materials items are wiped away. Dirt plays a large role in Oklahoma culture. Songs, t-shirts, and popular phrases boast of "red dirt" and "getting dirty." Mud bogging is a popular past time for many Oklahomans. As a native Oklahoman, some of my earliest memories involve making mud pies and forming roads and mini oil wells in the dirt (pop bottles filled with water and turned upside down).
Healthy soil is necessary for a good crop. When someone seeks shelter during a tornado, they go underground. If they emerge and their home is gone, at least they still have each other and their land. This importance of earth and it's permanence inspired me to collect soil from every county in Oklahoma during the Weathering Oklahoma expedition. By forming a structure with the dirt in Mason jars, I am removing an everyday object that is found in the homes of many Oklahomans and placing it in a different context. Dirt from all across the state is displayed in a common object that is also found in cellars across Oklahoma, as many people also use their cellars as canning rooms. The food that is canned and stored comes from the earth, and I am honoring this connection.
Healthy soil is necessary for a good crop. When someone seeks shelter during a tornado, they go underground. If they emerge and their home is gone, at least they still have each other and their land. This importance of earth and it's permanence inspired me to collect soil from every county in Oklahoma during the Weathering Oklahoma expedition. By forming a structure with the dirt in Mason jars, I am removing an everyday object that is found in the homes of many Oklahomans and placing it in a different context. Dirt from all across the state is displayed in a common object that is also found in cellars across Oklahoma, as many people also use their cellars as canning rooms. The food that is canned and stored comes from the earth, and I am honoring this connection.