Location: Fibonacci Spiral in the Meadow

In my work, I look to the gestural marks of clay as a mode of totem-making, both as symbols of connection and as a recording of time. For the Queens Botanical Garden Project, I made a body totem, with an abstract waterfall running down its front. The totem contains square orifices and crosses in a grid-like structure that interconnects the modular parts. 

A ‘Butterfly Bench’ with square tiles showing the diverse population of Indigenous butterflies of New York, stands in the vicinity of the totem. Butterflies are crucial for maintaining ecosystem biodiversity. They are also indicators of environmental health. Butterflies act as essential pollinators for native plants and are vital to a healthy ecosystem. Visitors are invited to rest on the bench, contemplate the sculpture, and take in the beauty of the Queens Botanical Gardens. 

Butterflies also have deep cultural significance. They represent rebirth, balance and ancestral connections. Within the Queens Botanical Gardens, the site is located in a field area where the Fibonacci spiral is mowed into the grass. The Fibonacci number is a natural occurring geometric pattern found in nature. In order to maximize space and air, plants often grow within this sequence. While the symbol of the butterfly also signifies balance and harmony, so does the Fibonacci spiral, a mathematical sequence that was originally found by the ancient Indian poet and mathematician Acharya Pingala. I named my piece “Waterfall Totem for Pingala’s Spiral with Butterfly Bench.”