Thirteen Hours to Fall (work-in-progress)

Thirteen Hours to Fall examines the climate crisis through investigations of contemporary and future ghost forests along the mid-Atlantic coast. Ghost forests, vast expanses of dead and dying trees caused by saltwater intrusion, serve as stark visual evidence of rising sea levels and long-term environmental change. This project traces how colonial capitalism, extractive timber industries, plantation farming, and the ongoing impacts of climate change have transformed this landscape over the last 400 years. Informed by environmental history and intersectional analysis, the work considers the marginalization of Indigenous peoples, the appropriation of their lands, and the enduring imprint of slavery and white supremacy in the region. These overlapping forces have resulted in massive tree loss, reduced carbon storage and biodiversity, and profound consequences for local communities.

*Funded in part by an Artist Grant from the Puffin Foundation