Mary Ivy Martin - Tree Kisses

Mary Ivy Martin

Carrying an abandoned curbside Christmas tree inside to be cared for, refashioning cat fur and dust into facial hair, and bringing ubiquitous reeds to life in a Buster Keaton like gag are a few examples of my practice that exists at the intersection of identity, sexuality, psychology, and ecology. I work with organic materials and objects that are often unwanted, abandoned or ignored. Using models of human relationships and coping mechanisms, I find ways to relate to or interact with the materials by abstracting the materials from their surroundings through anthropomorphizing and identification with the natural objects. The results may be construed as inappropriate, strange or sadly humorous, lending an emotional resonance. Assessing the relationships in my own life, my approach to the ecological is personal.