The Land Becomes Us is an experiment in developing a relational ontology—one that recognizes the more-than-human as active participants in the creative process. Through collaboration with earth pigments, this practice has deepened my inquiry into the question: “Who else is involved in this process?”

The grains of sand leave marks on the artwork beyond my control. The variations in colour are not choices I have made. The land herself is as much an active agent in the formation of these pieces as I am.

As I traced the ever-widening relational web that gave rise to these works, I found it extending infinitely—it truly seems to have no end. The artwork involves my body, the microbiome in my gut, the bristles on the paintbrush, the workers who crafted the brush, the tree from which the paper was made, the logger who felled that tree, the mother who gave birth to the logger, and so on.

Through this continuous inquiry, I developed an ever-expanding awareness of the interconnectedness of all beings. Divisions began to dissolve, and I experienced more and more moments of embodying the sensation that I am not separate from, but intrinsically woven into the fabric of existence.

In the end, I came to see that these artworks were not created by me, but by us.