Sceloporus, Perfume based on lizard pheromones in handblown perfume bottle, perfume, glass, metal, cloth
Sceloporus lizards, also known as Western Fence lizards, or blue-bellies, communicate with one another across time and space using pheromones secreted from their thighs, along with physical gestures. The perfume Sceloporus, inspired by fence lizard pheromoens, is a surprisingly fresh yet animalic perfume that blends with the wearer’s own skin chemistry to create a soft, sheer, more-than-human presence. It's primary scent notes, in keeping with scientific research, include pyrizines, also found in wine, citrus, coffee, and chocolate, as well as jasmonates, from flowers. Participants are invited to sample the perfume while tasting related scent compounds in white wine and grapefruit, coffee, and jasmine flavored chocolates.
In collaboration with biologists Dr. Emilia Martins and Dr. Peter Wetherwax. Glass by Sky Cooper.
Lizard Language
Fence lizard head-bob decoder bandana, silkscreened ink on cloth, 22.5” x 21.5”, 2018
Instructions for interspecies communication:
Find a fence lizard. Bob your finger in a rapid up and down motion, following the graph at the top of the bandana.
The horizontal axis = duration,
the vertical axis = height of the head at the top of the movement.
The Heat of the Rock for the Lizard
Video projection still, 2014-15
A video projection of a woman enacting lizard territorial displays is projected onto a rock. Heidegger uses the lizard’s relationship to the rock on which it suns and displays itself as an example of the difference between humans and animals. Here the rock is reinterpreted as a site for cultural performance.
Lizard Mirror
Handblown mirrored glass rocks, 2015-ongoing
Lizards will display to their own reflections. These mirrored rocks blend into their surroundings and perform as site interventions in lizard territory, evoking a response from lizards.
Lizard Mirror
Handblown mirrored glass rocks, 2018
Every Word was Once an Animal, 2021
Every Word was Once an Animal is a collaborative project merging art, science, dance, music, and olfaction. Inspired by research on the gestural and olfactory communication strategies of Western fence lizards, the project explores the overlapping forces of nature and culture between humans, animals, and language.
In collaboration with biologists Dr. Emilia Martins and Dr. Peter Wetherwax, choreographer Darion Smith, composer Juliet Palmer, and artist Jessie Rose Vala
Lizard Semiotics, fence lizard head-bob decoder bandana, silkscreened ink on cloth, 22.5” x 21.5”, 2018
Instructions:
Find a fence lizard. Bob your finger in a rapid up and down motion, following the graph at the top of the bandana.
The horizontal axis = duration
The vertical axis = height of the head at the top of the movement
In collaboration with biologists Dr. Emilia Martins and Dr. Peter Wetherwax.
