Philana Brown

STATEMENT

I am committed to transforming the urban environment into a vibrant and sustainable home. Central to this goal is shifting the way local governments and citizens incorporate food systems into their cities. I research the potential of high-tech innovations such as LED grow lights and vertical farming to reduce agriculture’s environmental impact and reconnect city dwellers with their food sources.

Informed by this research, I combine sculpture, photography, light, and screen printing into installations that question technology’s role in the future of agriculture. Invoking a clinical and sci-fi aesthetic while advocating to bring their practical use into the conversation, the work frames current agricultural innovations as a chance for positive impact as well as a cautionary tale. 

BIO

I was born in California but grew up in Wisconsin. In 2010 I graduated from Lewis and Clark College in Portland, Oregon where I focused on Sculpture and Ceramics. I am currently an MFA candidate at The School of the Museum of Fine Arts/Tufts University in Boston, Massachusetts.