Scientific design research project engaging nature. Rodeo Beach, Headlands, CA.
This project have been published in the California Lichen Society bulletin, Winter 2022, thanks to special care and attention from lichenologist Jesse Miller.
Final structure built as a substrate for Acarospora Sinopica to grow on. The piece has been sand blasted to provide a better texture for lichen growth.
Lichens are living organisms, that first appeared on Earth almost 400 million years ago. These old growing organisms are a successful symbiosis between fungi and algae. Algae feeds fungi with sugar generated from photosynthesis and fungi provides stable and safe structure for algal growth and expansion.
Acarospora sinopica, only grows on rocks with a high iron content. I visited the Academy of Science herbarium to document their archive of this species of lichen in order to generate the patterns for my project.
Acarospora sinopica, the metallophyte lichen species that grows on high iron containing rocks, has the same visual characteristics as the accumulated iron oxide layers on decaying metal pieces abandoned in nature. The brown color in some rocks that I found in the rodeo beach, could also indicate compressed bodies of dead or extinct sea creatures. Reflecting on these similarities, I became curios to investigate a meaningful connection between these elements throughout my research.
As my first prototype, I generated a 3d model, a 3d print and a 24 by 48 inches laser cut from online images I found in the lichen database. The wooden laser cut prototype was made to test the scale in location, Headlands, CA.
Also, to back my proposal, I started looking for Acarospora Sinopica lichen in the Headlands. In the process, I found so many other species of lichens that are mostly present in the coastal environments.
Based on the first prototype test in the headlands and the macro photographs of Acarospora Sinopica from Academy of Science’s archive, I started the process of making the final pieces using cold roll steel sheets. I laser cut a wooden template for the lichen map (generated from macro photos of the lichen) which helped me to use a plasma cutter to recreate the map from metal pieces. In order to achieve a more accurate edge quality to the lichens, I used an angle grinder to refine the rough pieces. Using the map, I attached the pieces on a second sheet of same metal and left the final sculpture under the rain for 24 hours before the installation day.
Lichens observed and documented in Sneath Lane trailhead, CA. Thanks to Jesse Miller for organizing the lichen walk.
This conceptual art piece is a metaphoric representation of the lichen, Acarospora Sinopica, which is found on rocks with high iron content. I created the final piece out of metal to provide a structure on which metallophytic lichens would potentially grow. The sculpture is made in the form of a cube which is the shape of iron molecules in room temperature. I also consider this piece as an act of returning the materials back to the land for the benefit of organisms. Metallophyte lichens are likely rare due to the accelerated rate by which metals have been extracted from the Earth for industrial operations and constructions. One of the sites where metallophyte lichens are found, are historic mines in which metals such as iron, copper, zinc, etc was part of the natural resources of the land. These sites are considered natural conservation habitats due to the vivid presence of metallophytic lichens and the necessity of their protection.
The first location in which I installed the first version of the sculpture is on the metal bridge that connects the parking lot to the Rodeo beach in the Marin Headlands (Marin County, California). I found many other types of lichen on this bridge which could be a positive indicator of future lichen growth on the sculpture. The rust present on the piece is a metaphorical reference to Acarospora sinopica since the lichen itself is visually similar to rust on iron.
In the near future I propose to install the second and final piece in the Iron Mountain mine near Redding, CA to raise awareness of the environmental damage that this mine caused during its peak activities from 1879 to 1963. This damage included fish die-offs in the Sacramento River and vegetation loss from over 100 square miles. Acid mine water created sediment deposits in Keswick reservoir, which is upstream of a drinking water source for the city of Redding. In 1983, the site was one of the first listed on the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency’s National Priority List as part of the Comprehensive Environmental Response, Compensation, and Liability Act (CERCLA or “Superfund”). It was ranked as the third most hazardous site in the State of California
(Sickles, 2014)
A video/audio piece is accompanied by the installation to create a monologue connecting all the scientific elements of my research. I used cut up techniques to deconstruct the text in order to create a surreal space where the monologue meets the physical object.
Through this work I aim to create an invisible bridge between mining raw materials from Earth and the power of regeneration and decomposition of matter through the perspective of lichens. What if we could facilitate lichen growth as a decomposing factor over our industrial buildings and infrastructure as a regenerative act. What if Acarospora Sinopica, the metallophyte species that its habitat has been directly affected by the excessive extraction of iron from the Earth, could bring the iron back to the Earth through breaking it down as a substrate, over the next centuries? I aim to provide an iron substrate for lichen growth as an act of returning raw material back to the Earth. The lichens that grow on this structure would slowly break down the metal and put it back in the environment. I believe that looking at the world from the perspective of hidden organisms such as lichens could lead to significant changes in our anthropocentirc attitude and about how we engage with natural world around us.
References:
Sickles, J. 2014. Iron Mountain mine superfund site: long term O & M challenges. National Conference on Mining Influenced Waters: Approaches for Characterization, Source Control and Treatment. Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Lichens on the bridge next to the sculpture
Special thanks to:
Donald Fortesque,
Jesse Miller,
Bruce McCune,
Emily Magnaghi
©21st Century
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Scientific design research project engaging nature. Rodeo Beach, Headlands, CA.
This project have been published in the California Lichen Society bulletin, Winter 2022, thanks to special care and attention from lichenologist Jesse Miller.
©21st Century
Top