Carol Elkovich

USA

Tanya Ziniewicz

USA

Rossana Jeran

USA

lives and works in San Francisco , USA

Whether Fibbonacci spirals , scientific theories of disorganized complexity , or the architecture of habitat ’ s nature has long been a primary source for erudition in both art and science . Recent maps charting social networks on the digital frontier take the visual quality of plant root structures , especially rhizomes . A rhizome is a stem of a plant that spreads by sending shoots to multiple points of selfreplicating nodes . The interconnection of the rhizome negates hierarchy and represents a kind of democratic interconnectivity , very similar to the accessible and creative systems of living in a digital age . I find it interesting to see abstract processes mirroring physical designs seen in nature . My work lets these ideas and symbols collide into evocative patterns that I see as a kind of geography of thought . Borrowing from maps of social networks , the invading patterns of virus behavior or the comportment of swarming insects , and simply the shapes of leaves and petals fallen to the ground — I am interested in disorganized complexity as a prominent overlay to the rational constructions of contemporary life . I strive for associations layered into a collective visual image that asks for contemplation of the structures shaping our knowledge , our relationships , or memories , and our physical experiences .

The Land series investigates subtleties of human interaction , imagination , and transience through a network of organic linear forms that are continually emerging , growing , reaching , and intertwining . The series begins as a study of delicate balance between positive and negative space , between what is visible and invisible , by way of quiet but intricate panoramas . While the forms are invented , they suggest such things as rhizomes , ribbons , neurons , or strands of muscle tissue . My intention is for the images to waver between definition and ambiguity , inviting the viewer to discover a unique interpretation and association . The Excavation series begins digging below the ground to reveal a subterranean network of colorful forms . In creating these images , I imagine building and traversing paths between observation and invention , logic and emotion , similar to a mind filled with thoughts that sprout and extend , curl and unfurl , tangled like a mass of unwound string or a clustered mound of roots . The Ascent series follows the forms on an upward climb into airy , sky-like negative space , as variations in movement and tension suggest infinite possibilities , overlaps , endings , and beginnings .

Rossana Jeran AKA Blurgirl is an award-winning writer , director , VJ and producer of short and feature films , as well as music videos , vidscapes and multi-media projects . Her work has screened across the United States and abroad and been featured at the Independent Feature Film Market , Newfilmmakers / NYC , Gen Art , Deep Ellum , Chicago Art Institute , Independent Exposure , The Kansas City Filmmakers Jubilee and the 11th Annual Experimental Film Festival in Sydney , Australia , MTV . com and DJ Central , a world wide cable show about electronic music . Walking her own spiritual and meditative path , Jeran ’ s work explores the light-to-dark spectrum of the human experience with grit and edge . Behind seemingly beautiful imagery often lies disturbing subtext or metaphor , luring the imagination beyond the comfortable , beyond the known . Taking media back to its roots , Jeran ’ s work transcends storytelling and language , blurring the lines between entertainment , participation and direct experience for global audiences .

lives and works in Baltimore , MD USA

lives and works in Tijuana , Baja California , México

lives and works in Israel

On the cover

, a work by

Special thanks to Haylee Lenkey , Martin Gantman , Krzysztof Kaczmar , Joshua White , Nicolas Vionnet , Genevieve Favre Petroff , Sandra Hunter , MyLoan Dinh , John Moran , Marya Vyrra , Gemma Pepper , Michael Nelson , Hannah Hiaseen and Scarlett Bowman , Yelena York Tonoyan , Haylee Lenkey , Martin Gantman , Krzysztof Kaczmar and Robyn Ellenbogen .

Special Issue