Origin of 'Red Rose'

The image is the medium.

This 7 feet 1/4 inch tall piece is made entirely of real rose petals, including the black tones. Each petal was plucked, preserved and layered by hand. The rose depicted in the image is also embedded in the piece, deepening its self-referential nature. It is preserved for archival quality.

The work highlights recursion--a fundamental process seen throughout nature in which something loops back to generate new form. In nature, this is how complexity arises: 

A+B+C=A' 

A: the rose

B: its breakdown/entropy

C: its reconstruction/anti-entropy

A': the result is an evolved rose which will outlive all others.

In this sense, 'Red Rose' enacts the same logic seen in nature’s autocatalytic systems - recursive processes that generate complexity from within themselves.  Recursion is seen throughout all of nature, from DNA to culture to galaxies.  Consciousness, for example, is thoughts that think about thinking.  This monumental artwork is made from itself.