Using natural materials acquired at my job as an ecological landscaper, I attempted to depict the tension between the inevitability of destruction and the persistence of rebirth that becomes pervasive in the first moments of spring. By utilizing plant material in all forms - whether sawdust from our wood shop to pruned branches adorned in buds that will never blossom - through a series of installations and arrangements, I attempted to call into attention the juxtaposition and tension we see play out around us. On a more personal note, calling upon the common motif of the family tree, I sought to depict the often unspoken tension between queer people and their biological families. By arranging trees in various forms connected to each other via nooses, I intended to highlight the inherent violence that exists between queer people and biological families who refuse to accept and support their queerness. In essence, this installation was a form of self-portrait depicting the tension I feel within my life as a queer person unrooted from the traditional nuclear family and its ties.