Maggie West

The artist.

Maggie West is a Los Angeles based artist known for her colorful photo and video art installations. Her video work continues to push the boundaries of traditional time lapse photography. Since 2020, West has photographed hundreds of plants and flowers growing under a spectrum of colored lights. Her unique time lapse process allows her to capture the plant’s natural movement while using colored light to alter the visual properties of each plant. After filming each sequence, West combines her time lapse footage into surreal digital landscapes that grow that blur the land between documentation and fantasy. In addition to her time lapse work, West has contributed many large scale architectural installations to the Los Angeles landscape.

Ultraviolet Ranunculus was created using a custom Ultraviolet photography process to capture fluorescent ink being absorbed through the flower’s petals. Sound design was provided by Matt Nordstrom.

As Ultraviolet light uncovers a process that is invisible to the human eye, this piece seeks to illuminate the network of supports that help make Planned Parenthood possible. Like the flower’s vascular system, caregivers and donors are able to connect through the organization and reach women in need.