Habitats - Laura Abrams - Urban Forest Illusion, 2022

12 x 12 x .5", Foil, paper, glitter, and tuille finished with cold wax

An image of a forest is sliced in strips like glassy skyscrapers emerging from a verdant ground into a dusky, sparkling sky. This funhouse image skews perception to provide a disorienting perspective of the built environment​​, questioning its replacement of nature with steel and glass.

Behind every picture is a story. I endeavor to bring this idea forward in multilayered compositions that juxtapose idealized landscapes with messy, lived realities. My habitat series—and this exhibition—were inspired by colorful landscape photographs, printed and distributed by nature organizations in the form of calendars. I repurposed these in collages by slicing the images into strips like louvered shades to reveal the flora and fauna within the perfect photographs. A central image anchors each narrative, which may include found or hand drawn plants and animals; organic elements such as grasses, seeds, and shells; discarded materials like plastic and packing materials; and ornaments including glitter, rhinestones, beads, and ribbons. I reveal the living things that have been disinvited to public view yet play a vital role in every ecosystem. In these alternate views, I often point to conditions that are less than pretty, like the air pollution that makes sunsets so beautiful; the predator/prey relationship; and the impact of the built environment on the land it occupies. The collages themselves are colorful, decorative little worlds with amusing details and juxtapositions to attract your attention.