"During my time at The Mothership, I worked primarily with the Eucalyptus tree to extract natural orange dyes. Growing up in Northern California this tree was often discussed as one of the most prominent invasive species introduced to the landscape during colonization. Due to their rapid expansion and quick growth the Eucalyptus tree contributes greatly to a decline of biodiversity and old growth forests. A major contributor to an increase in fire danger along the California coast, this tree is also quick burning and easily flammable. Traveling to Tangier to work with the Eucalyptus Globulus, the same species of blue gum Eucalyptus found in The Bay Area, is a moment of re-engagement in my relationship with this tree. I sewed baseball jersey inspired shirts and dyed them with this tree in an act of reconciliation. Rather than critique the environment as an act of distancing, I choose to join teams with what is growing in spite of what should be growing."

Ricki Dwyer is an artist from the San Francisco Bay Area, currently working in Brooklyn. His practice considers the intersections of material, industry, and the somatic. His work acknowledges drapery as the negotiation that things never fall the same way twice. Dwyer has shown extensively throughout the U.S. as well as internationally.