'Looking to the universe': 'Stardust Dialogues' explores the relationship between the physical and immaterial

As a child, all Elizabeth Chiles wanted to do was spend time outside in the sun, looking at plants.

She grew to love the pesky weeds invading her backyard to the point that she began photographing them and other plants. That love translated to art, and now Chiles has a solo show at the Richard Levy Gallery, through June 21, that’s all about the connection plants, humans and the cosmos have.

“Stardust Dialogues” may be named after the cosmos, but a majority of the work focuses on the Asteraceae family — which comprises sunflowers, marigolds and daisies.

“I’ll see a plant I’m interested in working with, and I’ll make many photographs of that plant, and then I collage them together in Photoshop and create a composition that feels like it works to me as an art object,” Chiles said.

On Friday, June 6, Chiles will have a panel discussion that focuses on sustainability and other ecological topics with author Judith Phillips, regenerative farmer and award-winning athlete Kevin Biggers, and Laurel Ladwig from the ABQ Backyard Refuge Program.

“Really, our goal is to create a container of knowledge that focuses on ecology within an urban environment and supporting that ecology,” said Viviette Hunt, director of the Richard Levy Gallery.

To create “Stardust Dialogues,” Chiles looked to her own home garden, where she photographed plants she has grown over the years. Chiles also uses fabric, shadow and other digital collage techniques to explore the relationship between the physical and the immaterial, using layers of linen and silhouettes to create a kaleidoscopic effect.

Chiles pressed sunflowers, photographed and backlit them on a light box, then collaged several pieces of paper and other images on top of each other. The goal is to make the transition between each piece look seamless until it blends together to create a complex image with depth.

“I use light, specifically light, and show in the work to allude to things that are beyond the physical plane and open up new questions,” Chiles said. “I feel like we are in dialogue with everything, the entire universe. Humans are looking to the universe and questioning what’s out there and how we got here.”

Chiles said she felt that plants are the “portals to metaphysical questions and things beyond our belief,” and through her various works of art, she explores how the world is connected through unseen tethers.

“My hope would be that people look at the plants right around them a little bit differently and taking interest in connecting to the world around them,” Chiles said.

'Looking to the universe': 'Stardust Dialogues' explores the relationship between the physical and immaterial