Paper > The Invasive Paper Project

These plant fibers and “caution” tape were found in a dry riverbed in New Mexico. Together they tell the story of a multilingual, complex place where what and who is considered “native” or “invasive” is in constant flux.

We use the language of colonization to name the plants that populate our ecosystems. This same language is used to name people / groups of people that live, thrive, and contribute to our communities. In my community-based paper-making practice, we explore this idea of "invasive" collaboratively asking important questions of what we call things and how we value them. In these spaces, we take more care with language - understanding that naming has real consequences like misunderstanding, removal, and eradication.