“Action on behalf of life transforms. Because the relationship between self and the world is reciprocal, it is not a question of first getting enlightened or saved and then acting. As we work to heal the earth, the earth heals us.”
-Robin Wall Kimmerer, Braiding Sweetgrass
With a land ethic and a respect for Indigenous wisdom as my guiding principle, I seek to reciprocate the gift of creation I have been given by this beautiful earth we call home. In my practice, creating is healing—healing as grieving, healing as forgiving, healing as remembering. While making, I hope to mend my own broken bonds to natural life while giving my audience the means to do the same.
In my artistic practice, the content of the work guides my choice of medium, and I always challenge myself to try new methods of creating. Recently, I have been using a cross-genre writing practice paired with papermaking and printmaking processes to explore the book format. I also experiment with forms of organic sound art and methods of translation to consider new ways of understanding and listening to the natural world.
I grew up in Atlanta, America’s “city in the forest,” and it was there the seeds of my connection to nature were first planted. However, this bond matured only after my move to NYC in 2021 when I realized how important the trees of Atlanta were to my wellbeing as a child and teenager. Now, as a resident of one of America’s most heavily industrialized regions, I investigate each of my encounters with the natural world in spaces like pre-planned city parks and sidewalk tree plots. For those who listen, these remnants of a once vibrant landscape still tell detailed narratives of Native America’s violent colonization and assimilation.
-Watson
To contact Watson about any inquiries please email them at watsonfrankart@gmail.com