Witness to a Dwelling in the Woods

“There are places that are both hollowed and hallowed all in one. They have wounded us, but we must return to them if we want to try to loose their tight hold on us. The places watch as we lose our way, as we are sent away, as we run away; they wait in stillness for us to find our way back.”

Thin Places by Kerri ní Dochartaigh

Growing up in the rural northeast in the town of Woodbury, Connecticut, named in recognition of its function as a dwelling place in the woods, it is unsurprising that the forested landscape became an integral part of my being. I am drawn to the solitude that the woods provide and the energy that exists within its bounds: the burbling streams, the haunting whirr of the wind, the occasional soft step of a distant animal, or the quick zip of an insect.

The woods also bore witness to the onslaught of violence I endured throughout childhood while simultaneously providing refuge. During especially tumultuous moments, honing in on the bull frogs croaking outside my window or the shuffling of tree branches allowed for emotional grounding. For this reason, comfort and place are intertwined.

 Witness to a Dwelling in the Woods begs the question, what does the land remember?

Witness to a Dwelling in the Woods installation.