Digital mockup of a “stained glass” window for The Chapel of Natural Intelligence. 10’ x 6.5’ (composed of twenty-seven digital photographs, each 12”x 20”).
The Chapel of Natural Intelligence is a forthcoming installation project. It creates a dedicated space for the timeless human practice of invocation – becoming humble and appealing to a higher force for help. In the place of a deity, however, The Chapel asks us to open to plant neighbors to receive wisdom and direction for negotiating life on our shared planet.
The piece is designed as a winter installation - when the colors and energy of the trees retreat. The ‘stained glass’ that creates a recognizably reverent space are cascades and bursts of leaves from Berkshire County, Massachusetts, where the piece will be installed. Participants are asked to join intention with others, creating a field of receptivity to better contact and hear our forest kin. The messages they receive are gathered and woven into the ever-evolving installation.
Digital mockup of a “stained glass” window for the Chapel of Natural Intelligence 10’ x 6.5’ (composed of twenty-seven digital photographs, each 12”x 20”).
I gathered leaves in autumn 2025 and photographed over 300 panels with my self-built device, dubbed ‘The Macroscope.’ This allows me to press leaf compositions between sheets of glass and backlight them with the sun. The intense golden spectrum of light reveals wild kaleidoscopes of hidden patterns, structures and, most importantly, pays homage to the powerful life force and design intelligence of our plant and tree kin. The panels, constituting 450 square feet of imagery, will be printed onto transparent media and backlit in the installation.
Details from “The Chapel of Natural Intelligence”