Laura Tyler

Since the 17th century, people have been fascinated with collecting nature and bringing it into the home. Unknown creatures of foreign lands poured from European ports and into the homes and cabinets of the wealthy and elite. The amateur collectors and naturalists arranged artifacts chaotically throughout the home. Walls were adorned with crudely taxidermied beasts, and shells and minerals clustered cabinet drawers. Today, nature is merely an idea. There are no longer living things that have been unaffected by human interaction. However, the word “nature” is often projected onto existing objects and environments. My work accepts nature’s non-existence in today’s world, that nothing is untouched by human hands. Vivarium draws upon nature as an idea that is projected onto objects for the home. This projection is exemplified through the domestic curiosity cabinets, museums of natural history, and today the commodities that are purchased to adorn homes. An artificial idea of nature is accessible through retail catalogues and window displays. They sell a nature that can be purchased and taken home. The desire to own these commodities reveal a longing for a nature that no longer exists in our lives.