Plasticity II
Install #1 (Spring 2024) MSU Denver Campus Cottonwood, Denver, CO
Install #2 (Spring 2024) Highline Canal Trailhead, Denver, CO.
Photo Credit: Andrew Cline
Photo Credit: Andrew Cline
Install #2 (Spring 2024) Highline Canal Trailhead, Denver, CO.
Photo Credit: Andrew Cline
Photo Credit: Andrew Cline
Install #2 (Spring 2024) Highline Canal Trailhead, Denver, CO.
Photo Credit: Andrew Cline
Photo Credit: Andrew Cline
Materials: Cottonwood (populus deltoides), synthetic fiber, plastic beads, ceramics
Dimensions: 32 in x 33 in x 6 in
In continuing my "Plasticity Series," I expanded on the methods and materials used in Plasticity I. This time, I wanted to respond directly to the trash littering the Highline Canal, where I collected the wood for my project What have we lost? Over the six months I spent gathering materials, I witnessed several drought-affected cottonwood trees being cut down for the safety of pedestrians along the trail. While collecting wood, I also gathered dozens of pieces of trash left behind by those same pedestrians being protected by the removal of the trees. This work, more visceral than the last, incorporates synthetic fibers and is installed horizontally along the trunk, reflecting the harm inflicted on the trees. The star, a recurring symbol in my work representing hope, appears here as "bleeding" ceramic stars to express all that the tree has given and the hope that diminishes with each tree felled.