The Garden of Earthly Delights, 2019

Video Installation: Three Flat Screen Televisions and Sound Bar

In collaboration with Harmonic Laboratory, on exhibit now through September 29, 2019 at the High Desert Museum, Bend, Oregon.

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The Garden of Earthly Delights depicts a loss of innocence through three juxtaposing video panels. This piece references Hieronymus Bosch’s iconic 15th century three-part work or tryptic by the same title. The original imagery reflects biblical scenes read from left to right; Eden, the Judgment, and Hell. Bosch’s triptych warns of the devastating outcome of irresponsibility and self-interest. The imagery represents the tension between two cultures engaged in a negotiation over limited water resources.

This work uses two natural High Desert settings representing either an abundance or scarcity of water. The protagonists reflect the socio-political tension between two groups over water rights; the Native peoples who have inhabited the area since time immemorial with deep ancestral and spiritual ties to the water, and the Euro-American settlers who have journeyed west over the past two centuries to establish their homes and industries. This is a cautionary tale of the price of exploitation.