Kille

Kille, meaning "body of water" in Middle Dutch, is an ongoing series that explores the environmental dynamics of two specific regions: Newtown Creek and the Meadowlands of New Jersey. These locales are marked by significant environmental contamination, hosting numerous Superfund sites and heavy-polluting industries. More notably, they also represent spaces of remarkable resilience, as evidenced by the profound care exhibited by their communities and the thriving biota that persist in these areas. Through this body of work, my artistic approach is not solely to emphasize that these places should not be dismissed as "wastelands" or mere transitional spaces. Instead, I aim to underscore that they are teeming with life and rejuvenation. Whether through conventional landscape imagery showing hilly regions that are actually concealing former landfills or intimate portrayals of community-led efforts in reviving native plant populations and the complex relationships those communities have with the non-native plants in the region. When you truly spend time in these locations the initial contrast to traditional ideas of urban areas washes away and one is left with a sense of wonder and curi