Claire Dunn’s practice begins by grounding her body in her specific location: focusing with heightened awareness on its unique climate, soil, plants, atmospheric pressure, minerals, and people. The resulting constellation of sensations, conditions, and materials brings new insight to her work. Human beings throughout time have been impacted by the land they occupy—weather conditions have even influenced the beginnings of major religions. Through sensory research, Dunn studies this timeless relationship between body and world.

In this collection of photograms, Dunn explores the patterns, textures, and innate celestial properties of earthly matter. These abstract images combine her analog macro-photographic documentations of patterns found in the California landscape; imprints of her own hair, saliva, and fingerprints; and impressions left behind by broken mirror fragments. Dunn carves unique abstract drawings into each photogram with a variety of tools including Exacto knives, nails, and sandpaper.

Throughout history, it's been said that we come from the stars. Although Dunn’s images come from nature—the tangible world under our feet—they suggest faraway constellations. After all, is there any difference between cells and galaxies?

Text by Claire Dunn, edited by Meghan Smith

Installation at “No Way Out But Through”, Berkeley Art Center; Berkeley, California. Curated by Elena Gross