On Sept. 14, Megan Hanley gave a talk as a guest speaker for the art department discussing her past and future projects. Hanley is a local Portland artist who crosses art with biology and geology by using natural materials in her art.
Hanley’s journey began after the passing of her grandfather, which sparked her interest in death and humanity’s connection to the environment through death. This inspired her to take a trip in 2017 to an ancient Roman grave site where she worked with archaeologists for three weeks. She spent her time there excavating graves. From this experience came Hanley’s first project, “Eternal Becoming.” For this project, she used charcoal and dirt collected from the archaeological site to create life-size drawings of the graves she visited.
Hanley interpreted tombs as places of transition.
“‘Eternal Becoming’ intends to frame death as a “repayment of our life rather than an ending,” Hanley said.
According to Hanley, her exhibit is a “reminder of our connection and lack of superiority to nature.”
Hanley’s next project, “In/Habitable,” stemmed from research in which she participated at Lassen Volcanic National Park in California studying extremophiles. These are organisms that can survive in extreme conditions, such as the Sulfolobus Spindle-shaped Virus and Nanoarchaeota that live in the hot springs of Lassen. The artist then made charcoal drawings and sculptures inspired by those extremophiles and their ecosystem.
Additionally, Hanley spent time studying the history of the park, specifically how the indigenous tribes in the area interact with the hot springs. She made sculptures based on their traditional earthenware which was used to cook food in the hot springs.
In this project, Hanley wanted to highlight the similarities between small organisms and humans which both belong to complex ecosystems while maintaining individuality. She also focused on the permeability of extremophiles and how their interaction with their environment is crucial to their survival. Hanley’s interest in this area came from her observations of the current climate crisis and humanity’s need to reconsider what our definition of a “habitable” environment is.
Hanley’s most recent project, “Bubbling Waters,” came out of a papermaking residency she did with a business called Pulp & Deckle. In her residency she created three abstract reliefs of hot spring chimneys out of paper pulp and beeswax. These hot springs were modeled after ones she visited on a trip to Yellowstone National Park in 2019.
In an email interview Hanley said this project was “an experimentation with new materials while continuing themes from ‘In/Habitable.’”
While working with these materials, she learned that the fibers of plants and fabrics bonded as they dried.
“This process of multiple fibers joining together for strength reminded me of the enrichment communities found in hot springs where organisms exchange nutrients and genetic material,” Hanley said.
Hanley plans on shifting her focus towards plants and fossils for a future project inspired by the detailed graphite drawings of Vija Clemins.
“Clemins’ work often directed your eye up or down rather than out at a typical landscape,” Hanley said.
She plans to use graphite to draw fossils from the Oregon area, drawing a connection between the mineral composition of both her material and subject. She hopes to urge viewers to continue to explore the relationship of humanity and the natural world.
“The landscapes I depict are a reminder to be more aware of the ecosystems that are right underneath our feet.” Hanley said. “Whether that be a human grave, your backyard or bubbling sulfuric mud, life has figured out a way to survive and even thrive in the most extreme conditions.”
“If we can see ourselves connected to the larger web of life, even microbes, we can disrupt the hierarchical tendencies causing ecological collapse,” Hanley said during her lecture.
Hanley’s work can be found on her website http://meganhanley.com/ or on Instagram @meganhanley.studio.
Photo Courtesy of Megan Hanley
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