CYNTHIA EAST SKOVLIN

My art practice hovers at the intersection of i) explorations in the form, texture and spirit residing in biological and mineral materials, and ii) experiments in and testing of prototypes for innovative alternatives to petrochemical plastics. 

The prototypes seek to provide adoptable alternatives in the human waste stream, and the explorations seek a reclamation of, and reconnection to, the unseen life force embedded in the realm of plants, organisms, soil, minerals, the organic and inorganic. Recent work is focused on deriving extractions from red, brown, and green seaweeds to produce castings in molds and foils.

While innovations in materials may help lead us out of environmental collapse, my work is simultaneously seeking a departure from materialist perspectives, to reunite with the interconnectedness of our natural systems, and the spirit (materia prima) that lies underneath.

BIO

Based in Point Reyes Station, CA, Cynthia East Skovlin’s mixed media work explores bio-based materials, anima, and “deep ecology” principals alongside her efforts in developing “real-world” prototypes for alternatives to petrochemical plastics, and applied technologies in fungi. 

She is the founder of a start-up, testing seaweed and other natural materials for bioplastic applications for agricultural and horticultural use, and is concurrently launching a mushroom cultivation project.

She is a graduate of Harvard University Graduate School of Design (Landscape Architecture) and has been an amateur mycologist for over 30 years. Her studies include urban planning/architecture, glass art, philosophy, and biodynamic farming. Influences include Carl Jung, Rudolf Steiner, the I Ching, ghosts, herbalism, Goethe, and lunar cycles.

See more at @c.e.skovlin