Around the Center

Artwork and Photograph by Troy Nickle

During my residency I created an intervention titled, “ Around the Center,” which was made in the Superior National Forest on a large stone along a path between the Ranger Station and the Vermillion College.

I started to contemplate the symbolic nature of this work and could relate it to when a stone is thrown in the water and ripples expand outward around the stone’s impact in the water. The stone’s impact creates energy and this energy radiates outward. This to me this also represented the energy created by the artists and scientists when they were able to learn about each other’s disciplines, collaborate and share common interests in nature.

From the creation of this work I began to consider what is at the center of my experiences in this unique place, and what surrounds this center? It is really absurd to try to define this center as a fixed thing because reality is continually changing from moment to moment. All phenomena are impermanent and therefore subject to change. What once was at the center of my experience has since dissolved with each new moment and as I have begun to intellectualize it, it is no longer what it was. Things begin to disintegrate and suddenly we realize that they do not exist in a fixed manner or exist independently but rather they exist in relation to, and in dependence on everything and are therefore interconnected. At the time that I am writing this, the ephemeral artwork that I have created has since devolved back into the environment and is no longer recognizable as an artwork.

The materials that I have used to create this work came from the needles of a White Pine and mosses that were collected from the shady forest floor. These materials could not exist without the elements of nature in balance creating the right conditions for the vegetation to grow. Without the glaciers that deposited this rock some 10,000 to 12,000 years ago I would not have a site to create this work. The White Pine grows in this area because of the well-drained soil and cool, humid climate of northern Minnesota. These beautiful trees provide food and shelter for numerous animals including, forest birds, squirrels, lynx, and wolves. It also provides cool damp shaded areas for a variety of vegetation like mosses and mushrooms to grow. Many people are drawn to this area to experience this unique beauty. Out canoeing on the water or sitting by the lake there is no need to worry about deadlines or being late for a meeting.  Somehow living in the moment and the simple experience of traveling on water by canoe, setting up camp, cooking dinner by fire and enjoying the sights and sounds of the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness feels liberating. When we can stop, breathe, and listen to what is around us, we are more open and receptive to the world around us.

While I was in Ely, I learned that an issue central to many people in the area revolved around the developments of a new mine. The town seemed to be polarized between those that supported the mine for their livelihood and those that were worried that the mine would affect the environment by bringing changes to the area that were damaging and irreversible. Many people depend on the area for a variety of things in order to sustain a livelihood. The mining companies depend on the valuable minerals in the bedrock while people who are supported by tourism depend on the landscape and wildlife for recreation activities such as canoeing, backpacking, dogsledding, fishing and hunting.  I began to think since everyone depends on the land and it’s central to the health and livelihood of everyone, isn’t preserving the landscape in everybody’s best interests both sustainably and economically? As Chief Seattle said, “Humankind has not woven the web of life. We are but one thread within it. Whatever we do to the web, we do to ourselves. All things are bound together. All things connect.” The development of the mine would permanently alter the landscape; affect water and air quality and take hundreds of years to fully recover. Does this outweigh the benefits that the mine will bring to the community? Are there other ways of creating jobs that won’t negatively affect the environment? And what are the prevailing attitudes that justify the development of a mine in this area? Aldo Leopold writes, “We abuse land because we regard it as a commodity belonging to us. When we see land as a community to which we belong, we may begin to use it with love and respect.”

As a stone strikes the water and creates energy, this unique residency allowed for artists and scientists to bridge creativity with observation and research.  While residing in Ely, Minnesota during our residency we learned of the complex issues regarding this unique community and have grown from our shared experiences. From our varied perspectives we are creating new energy to move forward to inspire others to be concerned about the future of our planet, to become aware of our environment and to bridge gaps between the divisions that separate us.

Photograph by Lawson Gerdes

A photo of artists Anaya Cullen (left), Troy Nickle (center) and Katherine Ball (right), at Sigurd Olsen's cabin near Ely, Minnesota.

News from the Field

Jeff Lee, Plant Ecologist / Botanist with the Minnesota Biological Survey, just posted his account of the Boundary Waters Aldo Leonardo trip on the Minnesota Biological Survey's blog. Here is a link to it: www.dnr.state.mn.us/eco/mcbs/news2013.html (with photos). Here is a reposting of the article:

"A unique opportunity arose when the Minnesota Biological Survey (MBS) was invited to participate in the Aldo & Leonardo Wilderness Science and Art Collaboration. A partnership of the Colorado Art Ranch and the U.S. Forest Service Aldo Leopold Wilderness Research Institute, the collaboration aims to bring together visiting artists and resident scientists to (1) highlight the success of the Wilderness Act on its 50th anniversary in 2014, (2) honor the work of wilderness scientists, and (3) capture and communicate the value of wild areas through artistic expression and interpretation. 

 As part of the collaboration, MBS plant ecologists Lawson Gerdes and Daniel Wovcha, energetic volunteer Jenna Pollard and I teamed up with visual and relationally-based artist Katherine Ball for an eight-day, MBS Border Lakes survey trip in the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. During her residency, Katie has become familiar with MBS field surveys and mission to guide land management decisions by providing high-quality data on the distribution of rare plants, animals, and communities. Equally poignant, however, was the influence that Katie had on us. Seeing her marvel at the beauty of the Border Lakes, and express that awe with daily postcard writings and reflection, affirmed that wilderness conservation is a shared commonality among scientists and artists alike. 

 Our route took us through Lakes One, Two, Three, Four, Hudson, Insula, Kiana, and Alice. September weather in the Boundary Waters can be unpredictable, but after two days of rain at the beginning, we were left with dry conditions, cool mornings, and three sunny 73° days at the tail end. Each morning, we left our campsite on the northeastern side of Insula Lake and paddled to the day's field site. Relevé vegetation plots in a red pine forest (FDn43a) and jack pine woodland (native plant community determination uncertain) on Kiana and Alice Lakes respectively, were punctuated by rare plant searches and native plant community evaluations. New populations of American shore-plantain (Littorella americana, State Special Concern) were discovered on pebbly shores of small islands. Franklin's Phacelia (Phacelia franklinii, State Threatened) was found for the first time in the Lake-North sub-county and in the area affected by the Pagami Creek wildfire of 2011. This species is known to prefer habitats of recent disturbance at a fine scale (e.g. tree tip-ups). Until now, however, it had not yet been documented from such an intense, broad-scale disturbance as the Pagami Creek fire in Minnesota. 

The fresh perspective that Katie brought to a MBS Border Lakes survey trip was invaluable. Parallels between scientists and artists become apparent as both professions gain greater familiarity with one another. For instance, carrying out a relevé vegetation plot demonstrates precision and detail that is needed for the plot to accurately describe the greater native plant community. The same precision and detail is equally vital for artwork to successfully convey a message, render emotion, or catalyze social change. Our partnership with Katie does not end with the conclusion of the trip. The collaboration extends to her creation of an art piece that celebrates wilderness and by association the biodiversity contained within. This work will become public and showcase how science and art together is more powerful than either one in isolation." — Jeff Lee, 2013

Installation: Contemporary Land Surveying and Scientific Research in the Wilderness

At the end of my Aldo and Leonardo Residency in the Boundary Waters Wilderness, I collaborated with scientists from the Minnesota Biological Survey Lawson Gerdes, Jeff Lee,Dan Wovcha and field assistant Jenna Pollard, to make an installation that rendered a scene of what 21st century land surveying entails — and what one variety of scientific research in the Boundary Waters wilderness looks like: the relevé method. The installation contains scientific tools, information, camp gear and idiosyncratic objects that illustrate the character of the four of us that went to the Boundary Waters to survey the biodiversity of the area using the "relevé" method. Using aerial infrared maps, we canoed and bushwacked to specific sections of the Boundary Waters to mark off 20x20 meter plots and assess all the plant species living in each plot. We surveyed each relevé plot at multiple levels, from the canopy to the ground cover, assessing density and maturity. We would also dig a hole in the ground to inspect the soil layers (if charcoal was present that would indicate there had been a fire) and test the PH of the soil. By performing the relevé method, we were able to generate a scientific rendering of the native plant community and fill in the map of biodiversity for the state of Minnesota that the Minnesota Biological Survey has been charting over the last two decades. The installation was created at Wolf Ridge Environmental Learning Center in Finland, MN.

The five of us have discussed exhibiting this installation again some day at a larger public institution. We have ideas for a series of public programs that could go along with it, including relevé school curriculum, the launch of a relevé society (these societies/clubs are prevalent in Europe), relevé events/performances, and workshops (for example: where participants can learn how to press plants, make a plant pressing book, and a solar plant dryer). We have plans to make a proposal to the Minnesota Science Museum and the Bell Museum of Natural History or during the 50th Anniversary Celebration of the Wilderness Act in Albuquerque. If you have any suggestions for any institutions to contact about hosting the exhibit, please email kb@katherineball.com.

Photos courtesy of Jenna Pollard, Dan Wovcha, and Katherine Ball.

Much gratitude to Wolf Ridge for hosting the installation, Lawson Gerdes for bottomlining the science end of the collaboration, Jeff Lee for leading the Boundary Waters Trip, Dan Wovcha and Jenna Pollard for their filming/photography, zest for life, insatiable curiosity, deep wonder and reverence for the flora and fauna with which we share this planet.

Day 8 - Boundary Waters >>> Collaboration between Minnesota Biological Survey Scientists and Katherine Ball

Day 7 - Boundary Waters >>> Collaboration between Minnesota Biological Survey Scientists and Katherine Ball

Day 6 - Boundary Waters >>> Collaboration between Minnesota Biological Survey Scientists and Katherine Ball

Day 5 - Boundary Waters >>> Collaboration between Minnesota Biological Survey Scientists and Katherine Ball

Day 4 - Boundary Waters >>> Collaboration between Minnesota Biological Survey Scientists and Katherine Ball

Day 3 - Boundary Waters >>> Collaboration between Minnesota Biological Survey Scientists and Katherine Ball

Day 2 - Boundary Waters >>> Collaboration between Minnesota Biological Survey Scientists and Katherine Ball

Day 1 - Boundary Waters >>> Collaboration between Minnesota Biological Survey Scientists and Katherine Ball

Upcoming Collaborator Introduction: Katherine Ball

www.katherineball.com 

 Hello blogosphere,

I will be one of the art collaborators for the upcoming Aldo and Leonardo Wilderness Art+Science Collaboration in the Boundary Waters Canoe and Wilderness Area on the border of Northern Minnesota and Canada from September 15 to October 15.

I am writing to you from Vienna where I am collaborating with the Refugee Protest movement here to create some visual imagery for their efforts to address how migration—spurred by globalization, capitalism and genocide—is complicated further by a biased asylum system. I didn't really understand what the words "Refugee Protest" meant until I got here and saw how the refugees have come together to stand up for their right to have rights. Many of the refugees are from Pakistan, Kashimir, Waziristan, and the Democratic Republic of Congo. They have left their home countries because of US drone attacks bombing their villages or because they were politically active in their countries and were listed on hit lists for organizing against the Taliban or state repression. Yesterday, I was talking with a student activist from Kashmir, listening to his stories of his political organizing at his university and thinking how similar his stories are to my stories of the organizing I was doing at my university in the US—and yet I am not in jeopardy of losing my life, but he is. Oh this game of life we are playing depends so much on chance. The luck that I was born in the US and he was born in Kashmir. As I look up and thank my lucky stars, I wonder if their constellation will shift its form if the US government continues to construct a modus operandi to assassinate US citizens...

Beyond the borders of countries, I am looking forward to exploring the permeability of the borders of my body and the wilderness during this art+science collaboration. After all, I am a habitat for fungi and bacteria located on planet Earth. Just as waves move an ocean, our collective movements swirl with experiments in alternatives to the dominant discourse, which have included: bicycling across the US to interview Americans working on small-scale solutions to the climate crisis, living in an off-grid floating island building mushroom filters to clean a polluted lake, and studying the behaviors of various species acting as the ecological counterpart to civil disobedience.

Here is the proposal I made to the Aldo and Leonardo Wilderness Art+Science Collaboration — I would also love to hear your ideas for what kind of artwork I could make in the BWCA! Just comment to this post if you have any or email me at kb@katherineball.com —

I would like to create a series of two-dimensional works that address challenges specific to the Boundary Waters, such as sulfide mining, logging, roadless areas, and climate change. The works would incorporate hand-cut paper, pen and ink drawing, botanical illustrations and text. Ideally, I would like to be able to research these issues during the residency, or if that is not possible then I will do it in advance of the residency. If accepted for this residency, I will contact local environmental organizations in advance, such as Friends of the Boundary Waters Wilderness, to see how works of art could be useful for their efforts, such as how the imagery could be used in talks they give, on their website and printed matter. I will incorporate their input into how I design the works of art. I will create an installation of these two-dimensional works and objects from to the Boundary Waters and my research that can be photo documented. Ideally, I would also like to exhibit this installation in the Twin Cities, but that would require further outreach and planning. 

Here are some questions I have.:

What would be a good organization to work with?  I typically like to work with smaller, but extremely engaged community groups rather than large nonprofits, but I am flexible.

Is there one issue in particular that is the most pertinent challenge to the BWCA at this moment?

Where and how I can I research BWCA's challenges, such as sulfide mining, logging, roadless areas, and climate change, as I mentioned in my proposal?

How do these issues link up to larger ecological and hegemonic issues?

How can artwork serve as a corresponding poetry to scientific research?

Other ideas?

Learning from Nature

By Troy Nickle

I am very excited and grateful that I have been one of the artists selected for the Aldo & Leonardo / Colorado Art Ranch residency at the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness in Minnesota. I feel there is something profound in learning about nature, exploring the landscape and the intuitive connections between science and art. This will be my second residency with the pairing of science and art in mind. Last spring, I had the opportunity to spend a month at Beauvais Lake Provincial Park in southern Alberta, Canada. The project was in collaboration with Alberta Parks, the Southern Alberta Art Gallery, the Field Notes Collective and the Southern Alberta Land Trust Society. During the residency I was involved in creating an art activity for a grade 5 wetland field study. I would also take part in leading the field study where students would learn about the ecosystem, animal adaptations, the available water on land and the importance of wetlands. While in the park I began to develop a deep appreciation for the landscape and the rich diversity of flora and fauna while taking hikes, developing artwork and making site sensitive interventions within the park. I am looking forward to learning about The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness and making new connections ahead. I think nature can be one of our greatest teachers and I am so excited to be able to work with two other talented artists, Katherine Ball and Anaya Cullen. I am somewhat embarrassed by the fact that I have not been east of Saskatchewan / Montana so this will be a time of discovery and exploring new terrain. I am very interested in responding creatively to the new knowledge learned through helping conduct research, exploring, and the overall experience. I look forward to embarking on this journey with the many other talented artists, scientists and explorers, past and present, who have instilled in us creativity, adventure, discovery and a sense of wonder. As Albert Einstein said, " Look deep into nature, then you will understand everything better."