The office is in my father's house as we prepared to sell it after he died. It seems generic after we cleared out his things but still evokes his memory for me. This memory is bittersweet as I miss him. The trees, quiet with heavy snow, provide some countermeasure. I added the bits of packaging collecting in drifts around the office furniture, waiting for a new family to clear the consumer clutter and bring new life to the space.
We visited Uganda while we lived in Kuwait, a lush and verdant environment. We moved to Virginia after leaving Kuwait, another lush and verdant environment. These two brought together were my countermeasure to the unblooming desert of Kuwait. The harshness of the country is echoed in the packaging settling onto the landscape.
The spaces of Virginia trees over the Kuwait sunrise are the green countermeasure to the dryness and heat of the city and contrast the damaged environment of Kuwait with the green beauty of healthy forests.
Acacia grew well in Kuwait, in this case without the irrigation system placed to water it but never connected to a water supply. This is one of the few native trees in the area and provided the most green space in our neighborhood.
Incorporating one of my photos, this is a portrait of the leader of the elephants in Murchison National Park, Uganda surrounded by grasses and acacia trees.
