Interconnectivity and Interdependence

Embroidered Image Series, Pause, ©Michelle Louis 2016

Interconnectivity and interdependence guide life through time. Who lives where, who eats what, who mates with whom are all exercises in interconnectivity and interdependence. How is interdependence experienced? How does digital interconnectivity affect our relationship to the natural world? How does the American narrative of independence rather than interdependence affect our relationship to the world community and each other? How can we advance conscientious interconnectivity and respectful interdependence between ourselves and all living things?  As the darkness of winter closes in, and along with it an urge to curl up and turn inward, this season, being attentive, united, creative, and agile is imperative. ​

"We need acts of restoration, not only for polluted waters and degraded lands,
but also for our relationship to the world. We need to restore honor to the way we live,
so that when we walk through the world we don’t have to avert our eyes with shame,
so that we can hold our heads up high and receive the respectful acknowledgment
of the rest of the earth’s beings."  -Robin Wall Kimmerer, whose book, 
Braiding Sweetgrass: Indigenous Wisdom, Scientific Knowledge,
and the Teachings of Plants, I highly recommend.

Involution 5, 40" x 30" on canvas. ©Michelle Louis 2016