Dana Henry Martin

dif/Fused Ancestry

  • Wonder

    I guess what I want to say about land is that it continues even after we’ve left it, even after… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–4 minutes

  • Leaf Mother

    Mother, if I had a jar of soil from your garden, I would carry it with me for the rest… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • Volcano Complex

    We went to our local BLM field office and got a license to collect up to 250 pounds of material… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • Hard Pills

    I have a new iteration on my concept of collecting soil samples from mass-institutionalization-era psychiatric asylums and hospitals in the… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–3 minutes

  • Vials

    I may be wrong about this, but here are five sediment samples from two different sites near where I live.… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • Other Rhythms

    I’m wearing colluvial sediment from the 90-million-year-old Iron Springs Formation in the wildlands behind my Utah home around my neck… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • The Collection

    For my dif/Fused Ancestry project: soil samples from Oklahoma and Utah, flora samples, bones, stones, vases, pastels, hair, and other… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • Other(ed) Ancestors

    As part of my dif/Fused Ancestry project, I also want to collect soil from every asylum in the United States… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • Dirt(y) Reads

    These are four of the books about soil that I’m reading as part of my dif/Fused Ancestry project. I’ll share… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

  • We Gather for This Soil

    I got my great-grandfather’s soil today with my life partner and one of my very best friends, Jose Faus. We… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    1–2 minutes

PROCESS

  • Map and Research: Investigate the historical, geological, and ecological context of each collection site or reverse the direction, mapping sites based on ancestral and historical narratives.
  • Forage: Gather natural materials ethically, respectfully, and with permission.
  • Transform: Process foraged materials into custom mediums and physical resources for art-making.
  • Weave: Track the stories held within the land, braiding personal, ancestral, and ecological histories.
  • Create: Generate studies and finished artwork informed by the sites and physically composed of the materials collected.

  • Limits: Not all sites will be safe or accessible, which means some spaces cannot be entered, and some stories will remain incomplete. An empty container can signify these omissions.

purpose

ethics

Responsible Exploration: Committing to mindful presence, permission-based foraging, and minimal-impact exploration on every site.

Meaning

Embodied Storytelling: Engaging in sensory, place-based creation that connects the maker and viewer to the specific location and to the physical earth.

Reclamation: Unearthing and honoring lost, fractured, or overlooked histories embedded in the landscape.

Material Transformation: Celebrating the alchemy of turning raw, gathered earth into tangible, expressive art.

community

Public Education: Sharing the ecological and historical narratives of the sites to foster a deeper collective awareness.

Active Participation: Creating opportunities for community participation, engagement, and shared connection through the work.