Sonja Peterson employs motifs of common agricultural plants and animals, underground roots, spider webs, and vine-like growths to examine the global matrix of agricultural, financial, and environmental systems. Using traditional paper cutting, collage, and stencils, Peterson creates elaborate large-scale hanging papercuts that illustrate how the structural integrity of global systems lies in their interconnectivity: if elements disconnect, the entire system comes under threat of collapse.
Inspired by the writings of Michael Pollan, Richard Holmes, and many others, Peterson is currently interested in how the collection and trade of natural commodities like precious metals, plant-based dyes, spices, fruits, and animal furs have linked nature to the global banking system and interwoven cultures, economies, and ecological systems around the world. Visit Sonja Peterson online.
Bell Museum of Natural History
