INTENTION
Design is how I make sense of things + talk to people. Through it, I am inseparable from others and experience my work as a confluence of their thoughts and my own. In a time when verbal communication often feels polarized and fraught, I find visual expression to be a balm with the potential to remind us of our inherent similarities and shared destiny.
“Our ability to perceive quality in nature begins, as in art, with the pretty. It expands through successive stages of the beautiful to values as yet uncaptured by language.”
I am passionate about landscape health and ecology. While designing, I pay a great deal of attention to history, the commons, and laws of nature. I believe the invisibility of these things begs translation + am captivated by the holographic nature of their meanings.
HEMP
The Japanese word kintsukuroi describes a broken object being made whole again after its fractures are fused with gold. This joinery acknowledges the object’s history and reveals beauty in the processes of upset and mending. In the spirit of kintsukuroi, the Historical Ecology Mapping Project (HEMP) seeks to promote an understanding of human impact on the environment by researching and mapping historic land use and ecologies within Athens-Clarke County, Georgia in order to inform creative site management and restoration.
HEMP is a research project that was started by Annette J Griffin and Dr. Eric MacDonald at The University of Georgia in the College of Environment + Design. Images in this gallery were developed as research outputs by Annette J Griffin.
“Let us begin at the source of terrestrial existence.”
ABOVE: Plant species research conducted Spring 2015 semester.
BELOW: Timeline research conducted Fall 2014 semester. Timeline graphics inspired by Napa Valley Historical Ecology Atlas: Exploring a Hidden Landscape of Transformation and Resilience by Robin Grossinger (Author), Ruth Askevold (Cartographer, Designer). Images on Documentation timeline are intended for educational purposes only and do not belong to Annette J Griffin.
MASTER'S THESIS
Soil Ecology Web
Soil Ecology Web (SEW) addresses Georgia’s most serious natural disaster, the loss of its topsoil.
a b s t r a c t : The foundation of healthy landscapes lies just below the surface. The subterranean ecology of our backyards helps determine how water moves across our land, which plants we can grow, and how nutrient-rich our edibles will be, among other things. There is a direct link between caring for our soil and caring for ourselves. Soil Ecology Web recommends design guidelines derived from the study of soil ecology that anyone with a plot of land can follow to protect and grow their resource.
BIO
Annette J Griffin lives in Washington, DC, where she enjoys being surrounded by historic architecture and art. She loves her work and the wonderful crew at Michael Vergason Landscape Architects, Ltd. Prior to this, she held positions as project manager and gallery coordinator at Daigh Rick Landscape Architects, LLC + Galerie Tangerine in Nashville, Tennessee. She has a master's degree in landscape architecture from The University of Georgia, and studied experimental fibers and installation art as an undergraduate with Mi-Kyoung Lee at The University of the Arts.
She has worked as a fellow, landscape management consultant, arts manager, artist's assistant, scenic and props designer, photo editor, graphic designer, and writer for Solidago Design Solutions, Inc, Dance Exchange, Serenbe, The Magnetic Theatre, The Circle Gallery, Caroline Lathan-Stiefel, The International Opera Theater, VIREO, Scott Nesbit, and Nashville Arts Magazine. She has also worked as a librarian, factory girl, and radio dj.
Annette is available for a wide range of freelance activities, including landscape consultation, design, historical + cultural research, and management services. View her resume here.