Moriah Roland

“From the Root”
I like the motif of nature because I find naturalistic shapes beautiful, but I also wanted to challenge myself by exploring a topic of personal importance: cultural alienation. Growing up in Jackson, Mississippi, a predominantly Black city, I was surrounded by my culture, yet often had my Blackness questioned because of my non-stereotypical interests, like anime, video games, or the way I spoke. Those experiences stayed with me into adulthood, and now I reflect on the deeper meanings behind those comments, especially the feelings of inadequacy and ostracization from a community I belong to.

In that sense, identity and belonging feel like a double-edged sword. The community I
identify with can reinforce stereotypes I don’t fit, yet I still seek validation and connection,
creating a continuous cycle of reaching out yet being denied. My interpretation of these feelings
takes shape as a network of roots extending from a central figure or body, with layered trunks
and branching forms. I chose a naturalistic approach because I see many aspects of nature as emblematic of human experience. For example, sunflowers typically face the sun, so I
questioned what it means when they face the viewer. Is the viewer the Sun? Ideas like
adaptability in nature parallel cultural alienation, where one can either conform to expectations
or resist and become something like an invasive species.

In constructing the installation, the roots act as extensions of the body, reaching upward
in a grasping motion toward clustered forms near the trunk. The figure is divided into three
components: two trunks forming a curved body with embedded chicken wire to represent
adaptability and human intervention, and branching forms above that mimic my own tightly coiled hair. My hair, often referred to as a “crown” in the Black community, plays a significant role here, especially with the inclusion of a jester-like hat as a kind of mock crown. This reflects my complicated relationship with my hair growing up, when it felt more like a burden than a gift. Thus, the branches and roots together reinforce that ongoing tension, the desire to belong while being pushed away, capturing a cycle of reaching, resisting, and searching for grounding.