Site 16 and Site 5, A collaboration between Troy Nickle, Mark Jirsa, The Minnesota Geological Survey and the University of Minnesota

Photograph and artwork by Troy Nickle, geological notes by Mark Jirsa

Site 16
UTM = 62217/5325277  On Birch Lake, side of portage to Carp Lake.
Canada on shore to right (N), image on US side.
Mudstone and slate – here with strong slaty cleavage, pieces of cleaved rock
have been “jumbled” together at different orientations presumably by fault movement.

These are two of sixteen site specific works that were done in collaboration with Mark Jirsa of the Minnesota Geological Survey and the University of Minnesota. The work was initiated through a dialogue between Mark and I about how we could bridge geology with art. Through this project I accompanied Mark in canoe and on a 10km walk near our camp site on the South Arm of Knife lake in The Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness of Minnesota to document and map a variety of ancient bedrock crusts throughout the area. The South Arm of Knife Lake was of interest to Mark because there had been a fire there a few years earlier. This meant that much of the moss and lichen that covered these rock outcrops had been burned off, allowing the rock to be easily mapped.

For each site we created a square section approximately 1 meter by 1 meter, to frame different geological events and rock formations with locally found materials like wood, reeds and stones. Each site corresponds to a Universal Transverse Mercator reading. As Mark was taking notes mapping the site I would create the frame in the landscape and document it with close up shots of the rock within the frame and an image of the frame in context to the land.

Site 5

636081E/5328209N

Interlayered white weathered sandstone and mudstone, B = N 10 E / 80 W

T= W

Below is a map of the area and the sites that we mapped and documented.

I express my deep gratitude to The Colorado Art Ranch in collaboration with the Aldo Leopold Institute for allowing me to go on such a great adventure and Mark Jirsa for making coffee every morning, sharing his jolly rancher candy and for his enthusiasm and knowledge of geology.

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.

Wilderness Wanderings in Superior National Forest

leaves, pine needles and moss collected and assembled on rock

Artwork and photo by Troy Nickle

red leaves collected and assembled between mosses

Artwork and photo by Troy Nickle

assorted leaves collected and assembled between mosses

Artwork and photo by Troy Nickle

A determined tree grows over a stone
Photograph by artist Troy Nickle

Becca Orf dawns leaf mask
Photograph by artist Troy Nickle

Becca Orf providing habitat for a crawfish shell
Photograph by artist Troy Nickle

Windows Through Time - A collaboration between Troy Nickle, Mark Jirsa, the Minnesota Geological Survey and University of Minnesota

Artwork by Troy Nickle

Is time merely a limited linear concept created by mankind so that we can understand the passing of the days, weeks and years?  We seldom think of time on a vast scale encompassing thousands, millions and even billions of years. I wonder what the earth looked like a billion years ago. How has our earth formed and evolved over that period of what we call time? It’s hard to fathom, but I had the opportunity to take a 6 day trip with geologist Mark Jirsa into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness, (BWCAW), to gain an understanding of Minnesota’s ancient bedrock crust and had a glimpse of what the earth might have looked like millions of years ago.

Mark focuses on Precambrian geology and studies and maps many of the rock outcrops in the BWCAW and throughout Minnesota to improve our understanding of crustal evolution that spans nearly 3 billion years - (2690 to 2722 Million years). Many of the exposures in the Boundary Waters area provide examples of some of Earth’s oldest and most complex crust. Much of the bedrock in Minnesota is covered by hundreds of feet of glacial sediment, but the bedrock in Superior National Forest which includes the BWCAW is near or at land surface, creating exposures that are sufficiently large and closely spaced allowing it to be mapped in detail.

Photograph by artist Troy Nickle

Mark tells me that he is trying to uncover the geological story behind the formations in the rock. The once flat-lying strata has been folded, metamorphosed (thermally altered), faulted and now stand nearly on end. Like a detective Mark looks at the rock and tries to uncover the story behind it. He looks at the layers measuring the direction with a compass, determining the strike or trend of the layer and if possible the angle the layers recede into the rock, (the dip) and tries to determine which way is up, (the topping) formed by an understanding of the sediments in the layers, and how sediments settle- usually the heavier sediments settle first then the lighter ones later. He takes a UTM (Universe Transverse Mercator) reading of the location and writes a variety of geologist nomenclature on the sediments that formed the rock, the type of rock, fault lines and other information that will help him form detailed maps of the geology. Mark is seriously passionate about his work and it is not hard if you’re near him to soon be consumed with trying to understand and uncover the geological story at how this ancient bedrock might have formed.

Photograph by artist Troy Nickle

It took us 2 days to paddle out to our base camp in the south arm of Knife Lake. There Mark and I developed a collaboration that would bridge geology with art. Mark was really amazing to work with and helped form some of the ideas driving the work.  Through a discussion of where this work could go and how to relate art with geology we decided to frame key areas of rock formations, sediment layers, fault lines and other interesting areas of bedrock as windows looking back into the ancient past. I used locally available materials like stone, wood or reeds to create the frames placed over areas of bedrock and created a frame that was 1 meter square and corresponded to a UTM location.  Mark took notes of the location, the strike, dip, topping, type and age of rock, sediment formations and numerous other details which will be part of the work while I created the frame and took a detailed image of the rock within the frame and an image of where the work exists in context to the land. Each rock formation is like a unique drawing that forms interesting lines and textures telling a story of an ancient world. During one day of mapping we documented 10 sites while hiking through the Knife Lake burn of 2011. We walked through thick brush, fallen trees and endured the high winds, heavy rain and  later were rewarded with a spectacular view.We covered a large area and when we got back to camp made plans to cover other areas on our route back.

Photograph by artist Troy Nickle

Photograph by artist Troy Nickle

Artwork by Troy Nickle

Over time there has been drastic change to the landscape which I learned are traceable through the stone. From continental seas that once covered North America, sediment laden rivers, volcanism, to multiple episodes of tectonic plate collision. It makes me wonder about how we perceive time. Many of these stones seem immovable but were once liquid lava entering an ocean, or sand, mud and silt carried in turbidity currents to eventually settle on an ocean or river floor, overtime forming into solid bedrock then later to be thrust to the surface by a tectonic plate collision.

Photograph by artist Troy Nickle

Paddling for Invasive Plants in the Boundary Waters

Photograph by Artist Troy Nickle

After 17 hours of driving from Canada I finally arrived in Ely, (pronounced Elee) Minnesota, a town filled with canoe enthusiasts, canoe outfitters, outdoor enthusiasts, fishermen and hunters all taking advantage of the nearby Superior National Forest and the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness. My first impression of this little town reminded me of mountain towns in Alberta and British Columbia, Canada, although instead of seeing mountain bikes on the car roof rack you would usually see canoes.  Our journey into the Boundary Waters Canoe Area Wilderness would involve a 4 day trip with fellow artist Anaya Cullen, Forest Service ecologist Jack Greenlee and biological technician and wilderness ranger Becca Orf. Jack and Becca are working in the Boundary Waters to monitor and mitigate invasive plants. The work that they undertake involves paddling out to the many camp sites along the network of lakes within the Boundary Waters to check the progress of invasive plants, map the locations with GPS and pull the plants. The plants that they target are not native to the area, and were usually introduced during European settlement. Many of these plants overtake an area and are hard to remove due to large interconnecting root systems. Plants like Canada thistle can shade out native plants and knapweed releases a toxin in their roots that affects most native plants, hence the name invasive. Some of these plants include Canada Thistle, Common Tansy, Hawkweed, Knapweed, Ox Eye Daisy, Leafy Spurge and Purple Loosestrife to name a few.

Photographs by artist Troy Nickle

On this trip we were looking at an area that had burned in the Pagami Fire. The area had a unique beauty to it as the bright red and orange bind weed that covered the forest floor was creeping up the black charred pines. Many of the new growth included a large number of Jack Pine whose seeds stay dormant until the heat of a fire burst the seeds open. Jack took notes of the new vegetation occupying the burned area.

Photographs by artist Troy Nickle

On our trip we would travel through more than 5 lakes and portage canoe and gear more than 8 times, some portages as long as half a kilometer. We camped and paddled in pouring rain and while trying to wait the rain out sat under a tarp, shared chocolate and  played cribbage on a homemade crib board with Forest Rangers Chris and Terry who were working at our site. It turned out to be a great rain day!

Troy Nickle portaging. Photograph by Becca Orf

Paddling through the area was a delight; some of the exposed rock in the Boundary Waters, part of the Canadian Shield, is some of the oldest rock on the planet. We often saw common loons, ducks, Canada geese, bald eagles, squirrels, and a variety of interesting mushrooms and vegetation.

Photograph by artist Troy Nickle

Photograph by artist Troy Nickle

Photograph by artist Troy Nickle

The work that Jack and Becka do made me consider what is the relation of my art to the environment, and how can I utilize invasive plants in my work to build on an awareness of these plants and perhaps even mitigate these populations. Part of mitigating invasive weeds involves pulling them so I intend to immerse myself in areas with invasive plants to collect them for my work. I am interested in my art playing a role in mitigating invasive plants and the aesthetics of creating something visually interesting from them.

Pulled Canada thistle wrapped around pines
Artwork by Troy Nickle

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."