Artist Statement by Elizabeth Knowles

Installation can be seen on Governors Island, Nolan Park, Building 10B/West Harlem Art Fund through August 31, 2025

Natural patterns inspire my work. Some are biological patterns at
the cellular level of organisms. Others are geological patterns
found in the earth’s natural landscapes. By working site-
specifically with a variety of media in three dimensions, I explore
how dynamic patterns connect landscapes and life forms,
physiology and physics, death and detritus, growth, and form.
Starting with the simplest elements and building to the more
complex, my creative process becomes a recreation of the
interaction of different levels of life. One basic component
connects with another, and another, until a whole is created. This
action mirrors how cells group together to form more intricate
organisms. Echoing vibrant rhythms in nature, my work displays
the unfolding of life as patterns expand back into each other and
into themselves. Additionally, they reveal a frozen moment in
time, depicting the fluctuating transitions between order and
chaos, or life and death.

Ranging from the atomistic to larger organizational systems, my
work probes the complex interface between the various levels.