Juniper Duncan
CWRU Undergraduate Student Cognitive Science and Psychology

symb(eye)osis
In many fields of the natural sciences, symbiosis exists as an important facet of life and study. Much like interpersonal relationships, the relationships between organisms (and between organisms and their environment) is crucial to understanding the wider realm of science as it affects our daily lives. This piece depicts symbiosis in two areas-digital and environmental. Using digital painting software, the medium of choice for many artists in the digital age, the overall piece represents the relationship between humanity and machines by allowing me to create various textures that would not be possible to make into a uniform piece through traditional means. More specifically, using artistic metaphor, the piece represents the symbiosis between humanity and the environment by depicting a demonstration of (in a literal sense) the relationship between the human body (specifically, the eye) and the environment (specifically, flowers). Just as humanity and technology exist in symbiosis by aiding and affecting each other’s perspectives and growth, so too do humanity and the environment exist. The unification of the two and the overall unification of the two examples of symbiosis in the piece aims to create a coherent artistic experience related to symbiosis for both myself and my audience.