Conceptually, decentralization describes the natural order of ecosystems. I think of a forest or a pond, ecosystems within which life thrives in harmony without central control. Each tree is an integral part of the complex ecosystem of the forest. And the forest as a whole is more than just the sum of its parts. In this piece, the hands represent human beings, and the flowers represent goods and services. There is a beautiful interplay - a dance - between two beings as they enact a ritual of exchange. This activity is displayed in the foreground, but we see that it is just one of many interactions taking place in a vast open field. The field which supports the exchanges is more than just a neutral space. This field is the context within which action happens, and it exists as an integral part of the actor, a melding of figure and ground. As with the forest and the tree, the field is more than the sum of its interactions. The rainbow colors suggest the all-inclusive nature of an ecosystem with no gatekeepers.