Nature Preserve Performance

Jodi Sharp

2012

Performance

Nature Preserve Performance is a performance done in the parking lot of a large shopping centre. In it, the artist creates a ritual where she tries to call to the "gods of nature" to replace the trees that previously lived there. 

Although the artist puts in hours of work, the ritual ultimately does not achieve the goal of making trees appear, and the artist leaves the space essentially as she arrived in it. In fact, the only thing that is changed through the course of time is the artist's paper costume, which breaks down and falls away as the ritual goes on. 

The intent of the performance is to discuss how difficult it is to replace natural space after it has been removed, and how "faith" will not fix the damage done to the environment. If the damage to environmental space is to be repaired it will require a lot more effort than prayer, and if we do not take the correct actions to change the situation, the only damage done will be to ourselves.