Divide to Multiply

Divide to Multiply is a performance and installation inspired by my ongoing interest in ill-conceived human-built versions of natural systems. It starts with a rudimentary notion of cell division -- constant doubling -- and applies it to a block of found wood. A favorite extra credit question in high school biology classes is "why is biology the only subject where division is the same as multiplication?" I apply this "divide to multiply" notion to a piece of lumber by cutting it in half, then cutting the halves in half, then cutting those halves in half... as many times as I can in one hour. I then use the resulting blocks of wood to create a facsimile of the original piece of lumber.