“All of this is infected; we just don’t see it yet.”
This is how a local forest service manager described the forest to me as we surveyed the horizon from Monarch Pass, CO. Just a few years later, 90% of these trees have died from a small, native insect named the Spruce Beetle.
The climate crisis is often invisible. We don’t see 2 degrees of warming or notice the increase in carbon dioxide. Beetle kill, however, presents a moment of seeing: an indicator, perhaps a symptom pointing to a larger disease?
Beetle Kill: Symptom or Disease? is a public art project commissioned by University of Colorado Boulder’s CASE Fellowship that explores the cascading impacts and underlying conditions of beetle kill on Monarch Pass. Through collaboration with CU Boulder ecologists and local forest experts, the resulting artwork translates scientific research and interdisciplinary questions into visual form.
The project consists of eight pieces in two sets (not all pieces are shown here), each taking a different perspective and aesthetic/material approach to explore this surprisingly complex issue. The artwork was created to be displayed in various public buildings including the Colorado State Capital and public libraries around the state, particularly in rural counties. I’m interested in how each of these pieces can operate on their own (differently), while also building a more collective and accessible conversation and understanding.
While the project explores the impacts of a specific beetle in a specific location in a specific time, it is also an invitation to consider what lies beyond what we currently see.
Commissioned by: The University of Colorado Boulder’s CASE Fellowship
To see and learn more: www.casefellows.buffscreate.net
Set 1 | Set 2
Set 1: Created for display in the Rotunda of the Colorado State Capitol Building.
Indicator #1, #2, #3 (2023)
Reclaimed walnut floor, beetle kill pine, and expired land polaroids
16” x 16” each
Reclaimed walnut floor, beetle kill pine, and expired land polaroids
16” x 16” each
Indicator #1
(2023)
Reclaimed walnut floor, beetle kill pine, and expired land polaroids
16” x 16”
(2023)
Reclaimed walnut floor, beetle kill pine, and expired land polaroids
16” x 16”
Expired land polaroid of beetle infested forest in Indicator #1 (2023)
Indicator #2
(2023)
Reclaimed walnut floor, beetle kill pine, and expired land polaroid
16” x 16”
(2023)
Reclaimed walnut floor, beetle kill pine, and expired land polaroid
16” x 16”
Indicator #2, detail
(2023)
Reclaimed walnut floor, beetle kill pine, and expired land polaroid
16” x 16”
(2023)
Reclaimed walnut floor, beetle kill pine, and expired land polaroid
16” x 16”
Indicator #3
(2023)
Reclaimed walnut floor, beetle kill pine, and expired land polaroids
16” x 16”
(2023)
Reclaimed walnut floor, beetle kill pine, and expired land polaroids
16” x 16”
Fade
42” x 30”
Expired Land Polaroids, Walnut, Oak, and Beetle Kill Pine
2023
This artwork depicts the impact of Spruce Beetles on Monarch Pass, where 90% of Engelmann Spruce trees have been killed.
The title, Fade, is in reference to the the term used by forest scientists to indicate the fading of color from the tree’s needles due to beetle activity. Over the course of two years, as the beetles mature from larvae to adult, the tree slowly fades from a dark green to light grey. During aerial survey’s, the amount of “fading” is an indicator of infestation.
42” x 30”
Expired Land Polaroids, Walnut, Oak, and Beetle Kill Pine
2023
This artwork depicts the impact of Spruce Beetles on Monarch Pass, where 90% of Engelmann Spruce trees have been killed.
The title, Fade, is in reference to the the term used by forest scientists to indicate the fading of color from the tree’s needles due to beetle activity. Over the course of two years, as the beetles mature from larvae to adult, the tree slowly fades from a dark green to light grey. During aerial survey’s, the amount of “fading” is an indicator of infestation.
Detail view of beetle kill pine in Fade (2023)
The frames incorporate wood from a variety of tree species—walnut, oak, and beetle-kill pine—to underscore that this story is not just about the spruce tree. Many of the same underlying conditions of climate change are threatening trees across the country in unique but interconnected ways. Spruce beetle kill is just one example of many.
The frames incorporate wood from a variety of tree species—walnut, oak, and beetle-kill pine—to underscore that this story is not just about the spruce tree. Many of the same underlying conditions of climate change are threatening trees across the country in unique but interconnected ways. Spruce beetle kill is just one example of many.
Expired land polaroid of beetle infested forests in Fade (2023)
The pieces utilizes expired land polaroids, which, due to chemical instability, only develop images 10% of the time. This mirrors the experience of being on Monarch Pass today, where only 10% of the spruce trees remain, creating a visual parallel to the landscape’s transformation.
The pieces utilizes expired land polaroids, which, due to chemical instability, only develop images 10% of the time. This mirrors the experience of being on Monarch Pass today, where only 10% of the spruce trees remain, creating a visual parallel to the landscape’s transformation.
Expired land polaroid of beetle infested forests.
Detail view of woodwork in Fade (2023)