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Humankind is made of both dirt and the divine yet is at one with neither. ÌýEncased in our bodies of dust, we strive for redemption and transcendence. ÌýWe struggle. We scour. We reach. We burgeon- even as we tarnish and disintegrate. ÌýThis work explores themes of growth and decay, original sin and redemption, and perseverance despite futility. Ìý We see a girl quietly engaged in daily rituals of self-cleaning while entombed in dark, loamy garden soil. ÌýAs the girl comes undone, a bloom of brightly colored flowers emerge. ÌýThis imagery reflects my personal belief that humans are fragile, blind, and irreparably flawed yet eternally hopeful in the midst of a hostile world. To create this series, I built a 6x8 foot raised garden bed on my back patio and filled it with planting soil and live plants and flowers. ÌýThe model had to be dug in and out between each shot and each plant and flower replanted. ÌýThe images were photographed from a ladder positioned seven feet above the planter.