Katie Miller DESERT EXPLORATIONS
Desert Explorations
My JTHAR residency experience has been revelatory and filled with inspiration and wonder. Water has remained a constant throughline in my explorations of the desert and an evolution of my recent work. Diving deep into the secrets of water in the ecosystems while researching the mining history of the area has proven endlessly fascinating. "Desert Explorations" is a collection of observations, explorations, and experiments inspired by my brief time in the majesty of the desert and impacts on the landscape over time. In an era when the world is experiencing immeasurable transformation, I am deeply inspired to investigate how rapid change impacts our sense of place and our natural ecosystems. I am interested in developing a new body of work about the mining extraction processes and their socio-ecological impacts. I hope to convey to the public that almost everything we use or encounter on a daily basis comes from the earth. Despite the general availability of minerals, these materials come from a place, landscape, and community. My work aims to create greater awareness around the challenges of prioritizing rapid development over the environment, ecosystems, place, and landscapes while also honoring the heritage and legacy of mining communities. I will use a visual language – in this case the materials and processes of mining within a landscape – to shed light on something often overlooked, giving it a new perspective and relationship to create an open dialogue about a complex issue of our time as mining increases for renewable energy production.
8321 Via Rocosa Road Joshua Tree, Ca. 92252