Tar Roofing Paper

My Tar Paper series was originally inspired by scientific algorithms and graphing of maritime oil spills. I specifically chose this material made of asphalt and petroleum, because it’s a product of the industry that caused these disasters. Tar paper is a common building material made of poison. I cut it into hundreds of pieces of various sizes, forming the tar paper into undulating patterns to capture moments of beauty amid toxic transformation. The colored areas are indicative of erosion due to petroleum and other chemical products. The aim is to make something beautiful out of this disaster.

The Cluster series is made primarily with black tar roofing paper and some hand made papers referencing carbon footprints and our global dependence upon oil. Each cluster is based on oil spills.