Pink Head, 2019. ©Jackie Nickerson — *Pink Head*, 2019. ©Jackie Nickerson

In her newest photo series, “Field Test,” Jackie Nickerson explores the symbiotic relationship between humans, the natural environment, and technological advances. The irreversible and devastating impact that humans have had on the environment is stark and undeniable. The oceans are full of plastic, deforestation leaves forests bare, animals are without natural habitats, and food is genetically modified. These choices that have resulted in environmental destruction also reflect on we who inflict them, and Nickerson examines this dynamic through her photo sculptures.

These photos depict individuals and their transformations through various materials. There are hints of recognizable features: a fist, a silhouette, a face through a mask. And yet, the human form in its entirety is almost unidentifiable. Nickerson remarks that she has been “collecting and buying all kinds of materials for a number of years now. I’m interested in how they are constructed… in different types of packaging, and the industrial design of them. Some of the items I used include high-density polyethylene, synthetic jersey mesh materials, Panda film, neoprene, medical scrubs, and face masks, polycarbonate film, cable ties, shade netting, and polyethylene bale netting.” There is a paradoxical nature to these forms and materials. In a parallel manner to the PPE equipment worn by frontline medical workers facing the Covid-19 pandemic, that which constricts the body also protects it.

Wrapped, 2019. ©Jackie Nickerson — *Wrapped*, 2019. ©Jackie Nickerson

Nickerson’s process of creating these photo sculptures relies heavily on the materials used: “The idea always starts with the components of the materials themselves. What is the intrinsic nature of it? What is it used for? How is it constructed? How does the nature and function of it relate to the people that use it? Then it’s a process of seeing how we apply it to a person and how that construction changes how we see both the material and the person underneath. So in effect, a new identity is made.” The materials are often rough, textured, uncomfortable, and, in some cases, almost suffocating. They completely transform the natural shape of an individual into a new, unrecognizable industrial form. What is compelling is that the individuals underneath seem to have a sense of complacency. No one is attempting to free themselves or escape from the constricts of the material. It appears as if these new identities have slowly crept in and taken over.

It can seem a simple task to identify how humans have directly shifted and manipulated the natural world. But we rarely look at how humanity has evolved and mutated with these shifts, as Nickerson demonstrates in “Field Test.” And though one may not notice the ways technology, pollution, or the media, to name a few, have altered the natural state of the human mind and body, technology has had a tremendous impact on humanity and the future that it defines.