“The Fires I” & “Red Sun I”
Artist’s Note:
“The Fires I” and “Red Sun I” are digitally altered images taken on 35mm film in response to the misinformed and dissociative response from the federal government to the dual crises of the Covid-19 pandemic and severe wildfires. The images initially scanned in blue-grey, and were edited and copy/pasted in repetition to represent the artist’s more accurate experience of the reddish, smoke laden air and sky. The fragmented and contrasting images within a single frame were distorted both by their own perspective and the limits of the camera and scanner technologies. Through this process, Sequoia documented the dichotomy between the glaring reality of multiple, very apparent crises and the deeply rooted denial of the severity by those in power.
Sequoia Day O’Connell is a queer/trans artist, curator, and full-spectrum doula residing on unceded Duwamish land (Seattle, WA). Intimacy is a common thread in their work both as an artist and as a doula. Sequoia’s digitally altered photographs touch on the personal and vulnerable boundaries between body and space, between the built and perceived natural environments. They received a BA in arts and psychology from Hampshire College, have curated shows for Bridge Productions and their independent art project, The Blue Lady, organized with Lions Main Art Collective and were a member organizer and member of the board of directors for the Vera Project.