Natural Recyclers, Outdoor Sculpture Installation, Art League Houston
By Nicola Parente and Divya Murthy
Current to Summer 2010

Photos courtesy of Art League Houston and Aaron Courtland

Natural Recyclers uses plants and organic materials to recycle carbon from the environment. It represents on a small scale, the complex system nature uses to regulate toxins in our environment. By naturally recycling organic matter and having a symbiotic relationship with the root structures of plants, mushrooms are an ideal symbol for promoting environmental consciousness within our community. This natural exchange of carbon and oxygen by living organisms is only one part of the solution to the human-made impending carbon crisis. In order to reduce our local carbon footprint, communities must be more conscientious about recycling the waste that nature cannot break down, such as plastics and other synthetic materials. Each mushroom is comprised of either herbal, non-native, or Texas native plants. The installation will cultivate stages of life and death by growing and changing along with the climate and weather in Houston.

Listen to Radio interview by KUHF's Meghan Hendley

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Wasted Resolve, Site Specific Gallery Installation, Art League Houston
By Nicola Parente and Divya Murthy
November 13 to December 31, 2009

Photos courtesy of Art League Houston

Until recently, Houston was ranked the worst recycler among the 30 largest cities in the nation, and although slightly improved, efforts to increase recycling have been grossly disproportionate to our city's increasing waste and carbon production. Wasted Resolve demonstrates the need for increased efforts to recycle synthetic and non-biodegradable material and reduce levels of local waste production. The numbers on the wall compare Houston's recycling efforts to other major US cities and the "trash graph" is composed of discarded items collected in just one week from the neighborhood surrounding Art League Houston. Both serve as a small reminder that the responsibility to clean up lies with the individual and our individual communities.

Listen to Radio interview by KUHF's Meghan Hendley

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Terminus, Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, 2008

Photography by Gabriella Nissen

Nicola Parente was honored to be selected as one of 2008's visual artist for Dominic Walsh Dance Theater, Terminus, E_Merging II which premiered on April 10, 11 and 12, 2008, at the Hobby Center for the Performing Arts, Zilkha Hall. Nicola Parente collaborated with choreographer Dominic Walsh and lighting designer Jeremy Choate in developing the visual aspects of the dance piece through the use of installation, original paintings and costume design.

VIDEO