Instagram story viewer> @connerdarling> Posts

Conner Darling

@connerdarling

941

followers

1145

following

🌱

POSTS STORIES REELS TAGGED

Everything is changing so fast. I feel this so readily in the face of demolition and development. A new business goes up, an old cottonwood comes down.

At its best, this work is a natural response to the conditions of this place, and I want so badly to set these pieces up in a way that allows them to breathe and change and be a place marker for the intense and at times very damaging transitions that this city too quickly goes through.

Where can I learn of this more simply than a puddle after a rainstorm.

What presents itself as an opportunity to work in a unique way contains a multitude of contexts, some which contain much more dire consequences. The wind outside was howling at more than 60mph while I sat in the walkway between my kitchen and living room, knowing that once the storm passed I would need to rush over to this spot off of MLK and 96 to make a work before the flooding recessed. Just minutes later, Detroit’s first tornado since 1997 ripped across the east side, toppling brick walls, structures, homes, and shredding the oldest tree in the Elmwood cemetery.

Similarly, the very material used here, as in most of my work, is only available to me as the result of the sheer magnitude of abandonment that large areas of Detroit have gone through over its history. My presence here, only made possible by the countless people who stayed, and stewarded as much as they could, and by those who stayed out of necessity, out of connection, out of love and family and trust.

In this way, my work is always commenting on so much that I am so ignorant of.

Take this material, some kind of concrete screed used to create a quick flooring material for a factory. It probably has a bit of asbestos in it, and who knows why it is so red, but if I handle it carefully, resisting the urge to break it apart into perfect little pieces then I can make something happen for this material before it ultimately ends up in the dumpster.

This place is sometimes known as “The Tillman St. Art Park, I think people used to throw raves here, and maybe still do. But what is more notable to me is the sprawling colonies of cottonwoods, mugwort, and boneset, along with a variety of thistles and by @connerdarling

85

6

17 days ago

I made these craters a few months ago inspired by the shallow depressions scratched into the ground by killdeer to use as nests. My intention was to document them as they change over time, something I have wanted to do with my art for a while. Starting simply felt like the easiest way to begin that.

This is technically the second installment in a larger body of work, “the killdeer, the baby deer, and the ants” but I am not entirely sure if I am continuing with that series, or how it all fits together yet. by @connerdarling

68

2

a month ago

“Praying for the Meadow” is a free class focused on sensing our interconnectedness with the land. Should run about 90 minutes! by @connerdarling

49

1

2 months ago

by @connerdarling

79

0

2 months ago

by @connerdarling

36

2

3 months ago

The Killdeer, The Baby Deer, and The Ants
(part 1)

The Field that used to be Sanders Elementary School gets mowed every few weeks, which in June leaves a sort of scrubby look where the grass is able to rise about 6 inches or so and the chicory has enough time to send up tall scrawny stalks that zig-zag their way towards the sun. Bright blue flowers ready to open with the ecstasy of anticipation just in time for the mower to come buzzing along, chop ‘em down, oh well. by @connerdarling

72

4

3 months ago

God Bless the Grass by @connerdarling

60

0

6 months ago

“It is as natural for images to rise within the human being as for a plant to sprout blossoms.” - Daisy Aldan

@connerdarling and I will be co-teaching a living room class 🌱 Human Photosynthesis and the Imaginal Space

Together we’ll explore the imaginal space and our cultural crisis of image

April 14th 7-9pm with light snacks and tea 🫖 - RSVP form in bio :) by @connerdarling

42

0

6 months ago

Glass Circle at Oakland and Alger by @connerdarling

41

6

7 months ago

“this place is dangerous but it reminds me of the sky” by @connerdarling

68

13

7 months ago

tiles on a telephone pole by @connerdarling

40

1

8 months ago

This is the first of many classes I am trying to teach out of my living room. We will cover a wide range of topics that investigate the patterns that construct the world in an attempt to encourage a felt sense of belonging in this life. I'll have some light snacks/tea. The class will run approximately 90 minutes. by @connerdarling

70

5

9 months ago