Dana Henry Martin

Trauma

  • Heartbreaking Wombat Poem

    I will describe the heartbreaking wombat poem I wanted to write last night when I was too tired to write… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    3–4 minutes

  • Morning Prayer September 16, 2024

    Trees don’t move in the wind. They’re moved by the wind, the way we all react to unseen forces, unseen… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    3–5 minutes

  • Listen, Listen

    Morning Prayer September 14, 2024 Do not see the horrors of the world. Do not speak the horrors of the… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–3 minutes

  • On Writing, Poetry, Health, Trauma, Surviving, and Lucid Dreams

    This essay was written on Twitter throughout the day on January 1, 2023. — I’m drafting a new essay here… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    10–15 minutes

  • Lexi the Healer

    To sit with a dog on a hillside on a glorious afternoon is to be back in Eden, where doing… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–3 minutes

  • Telling Lexi’s Story

    If you meet me when I’m with my dog, Lexi, chances are you’re going to hear her story. The story… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    4–6 minutes

  • Baltic Amber

    She tells me her name. It’s a faux portmanteau of candle and mandolin. She uses her digital SLR to show… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    8–11 minutes

  • Wings and Air

    Leaves from our red oak appliqué the lawn. The fall-blooming plants have lost their flowers, save for two azaleas. Butterflies… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    2–3 minutes

  • The Loneliness of Recovery

    I used to think to be not alone meant / never having to walk through the high wheat / or… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    6–9 minutes

  • Trauma as Mineralized Body

    If you cannot find it in your own body, where will you go in search of it? — The Upanishads… Read more.

    Dana Henry Martin
    3–4 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.