Cicatrix
Viewed by some lenses, our planet Earth is alive, not just with life, but as life. Though contentious, the Gaia hypothesis suggests that, because the inorganic Earth is regulated in many ways by the life it hosts, the planet overall can be thought of as a living organism not unlike how we are not only human, but also the microorganisms, bacteria, etc. that we've come to rely on to maintain our homeostasis.
Metaphorically or literally, lava is the Earth's life blood. If our world is a living planet, then these several-thousand-year-old rifts, craters, and fissures are open wounds still in the process of healing. Minerals in various states of oxidation combined with differing rates of cooling contribute to subtle changes in color and texture. Vibrantly colored lichens, a symbiotic relationship between forms of fungi and bacteria or algea, spatter the many cracks and crevices of the lava rock like neon paint.
Created under the thought experiment of imagining the planet as a truly living organism, this series presents inorganic Earth and its hosted organic life, frozen in violent throws of upheaval.
*
Thank you.
