Interview with photographer Jeremy Underwood from Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge (June 17-July13, 2013)

By Ryan Mudgett

Jeremy at Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge

Houston photographer, Jeremy Underwood was part of the Aldo & Leonardo artist in residence program at the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge which took place June 17-July13, 2013. Underwood’s fine art photography embodies our complicated relationship with nature and the contemporary landscape.  His photographs focus on the tension between nature and culture, challenging viewers to reflect upon our consumer society, the connection we have with our environment and the pervasion of pollution (Underwood).

Q: Why were you interested in participating at the Monomoy National Wildlife residency?

J.U. I knew the Aldo and Leonardo Wilderness Science and Art Collaboration would be more different than anything I had experienced before.  History is no stranger to the collaboration of science and art.  Leonardo da Vinci, cited as one of the greatest painters of all time is renowned for his skills as an artist and a scientist.  William Henry Jackson’s images of the American West introduced the world to a vast landscape never seen before, laying the groundwork for the preservation of America’s National parks.  Ansel Adams served on the board of directors of the Sierra Club advocating the preservation of the land.  For me, it is about what can become of art, the message an image can portray when words are not enough.

Q:Why is the intersection of Art and Science so important to you and your work?

J.U. My artwork embodies our complicated relationship with the natural world and the contemporary landscape, challenging viewers to reflect upon our consumer society, the connection we have with our environment and the pervasion of pollution.  I was curious how a scientific influence would affect my work.

Q:What are some of your first reactions to the Monomoy National Wildlife Refuge?

J.U. As I began my journey to Monomoy, a conflict in ideology ran through my thoughts, scientific utility versus aesthetic sensibility.  We were a group of artists working with scientists.  In one sense, artists are at odds with science, relying more on intuition than scientific theory.  On the other hand, both artist and scientist try to posit change working for the same outcome.  I wondered, what was to come of such a residency experiment?

Q:What do you believe to be a highlight to your time spent at Monomoy?

J.U. Upon arriving at Monomoy, it was difficult to get passed the chaos.  Fifteen thousand nesting birds in a small area was mind blowing.  But once I settled into the environment, quiet heartfelt moments began to reveal themselves: the gentleness of a mother bird with her chick, the playfulness of the newborn birds, the devotion of the parents to their young.  To be able to witness these events…that is what life is all about. 

Q:Did you experience any change in your perception during your stay at Monomoy?

J.U. I’ve seen the level of commitment needed by the staff to continue to protect this wildlife area.  And too, I’ve seen the frustration of the public not allowed to recreate on the nature preserve.  In the end, my experience has left me with more questions than answers about how we negotiate the natural places left in our world.  Wilderness stewardship is a complicated issue.  I guess it is to be expected that at any confluence, there is sure to be turbulence.  At the edge of nature and culture, this is especially true.  But I can say, that I’ve left with the idea that stewardship, change, and protection is not the calling of one career path.  Rather, it takes many to sew the seeds of change.  I’m hoping I can be a part of that circle. 

Q:As an artist do you feel like you influenced the scientist that you worked with? 

J.U. I remember having a conversation with one of the scientists about what they were doing at Monomoy.  My curiosity and layman’s description of the project put a smile on her face.  She told me her daily job was all about the routine, the data and science and it was good to be reminded about the passion.

Q:Did you experience any absurd situations at the Monomoy Refuge?

J.U. Upon arrival, it was clear that much effort was put into the protection of Monomoy’s tern colony.  So that is where I put my energy, documenting productivity.  In ideology, the act seemed straightforward, even a bit romantic.  Protect and document Monomoy’s colony of birds.  In reality, philosophy and practice can be a considerable divide.  Approximately fifteen thousand terns nest in a small range on Monomoy.  Despite our good intentions to protect them, the birds only saw us as predators to their young.  Every moment, and I do mean every single moment we were in the open, we were barraged by birds, attacked and defecated on, sunrise to sunset.  It made Hitchcock’s film, The Birds, look like child’s play.  I’ve been told that in some cultures people believe that is very good luck to be hit by bird poop.  The staff at Monomoy must be some of the luckiest people on earth.  Every day we came back to camp covered in good luck.

Q:What were some of the beneficial outcomes of your experience?

J.U. Monomoy has given me the insight of what it takes for preservation and protection first hand.  It’s a hard job, it’s a dirty job, it’s a complicated job.  This experience has furthered my understanding of the complexity of our relationship with the environment.

Human Debris- Jeremy Underwood's trash scuplture in a Huston waterway.
http://jeremyunderwood.com/trash-sculpture-public-art/

  

Adrien Segal: An Artist With Ecological Expression

By:Ryan Mudgett

Photo credit to ~ adrien segal art.design.data.sculpture © 2013 

Mirroring the scientific process artist Adrien Segal expresses brilliant works of art that display tales of places where humans and nature overlap. Her imagination and sculpting skills serve as a platform to narrate the invisible by telling a story of place that is intuitive, and serves as a natural history lesson for the viewer. Segal’s work is truly inspired by data visualization, natural phenomena, and long term scientific research.  Her creative form of sculpture accurately represents trends in water use, alluvial flow, tidal datum, and other water related topics . Striving to use her art as a universal form of communication she is successful in transforming information that reveals trends or patterns in history by depicting them as three dimensional forms (Segal, 2013).

After examining her work I begin to notice a slight shift in my perspective of the natural world and how it is painstakingly introduced to the masses. By taking decades of scientific data and expressing the numbers and trends in her sculptures, Segal transforms the complexities of science into a form that many can understand.  Her work not only steers clear from bland graphs and charts but also brought me to an Aldo Leopold statement that can be found in his Land Ethic:

Photography courtesy Aldo Leopold Foundation.

  “The ordinary citizen today assumes that science knows what makes the community clock tick; the scientist is equally sure that he does not. He knows that the biotic mechanism is so complex that its workings may never fully be understood.” Aldo Leopold

Segal’s art work expresses a firm push of creativity that begins to represent the complexity of certain biotic mechanisms and how they respond to anthropocentric world.  It is up to the curious individual to view her work with desire and the will to learn more about her thought process and message. In respect to Leopold we can only act ethically to something we can see, feel, understand, love, or otherwise have faith in, and Segal does just that with her art work (Leopold, 1970).

Here is a snippet of Adrien Segal's Art.  I was taken back by her piece "Snow Water Equivalent Cabinet". 

Check it out, she rocks!   > > > http://www.adriensegal.com/#!snow-water-equivalent-cabine/ct3d

Literature Cited

Leopold, A., & Schwartz, C. W. (1970). A Sand County almanac: with essays on conservation from Round River. New York: Ballantine Books.

Segal, Adrien (2013) “Adrien Segal: Artist Statement” http://www.adriensegal.com/#!statement/cihc accessed July,2013 adrien segal art.design.data.sculpture © 2013

An Interview with Dr. Ariel Lugo ~ El Toro Wilderness (March 1-30, 2013)

Artists & Scientists Speak the Same Language 

By: Ryan Mudgett

Ariel E. Lugo, director of the Forest Service’s International Institute of  Tropical Forestry in Puerto Rico.Photo courtesy of U.S. Forest Service

 In El Toro, Ariel Lugo director of the Forest Service's International institute of Tropical Diversity, and board member of the Society for Ecological Restoration, noted from his experience that the highlight of the month was the changing perception between artists and scientist.

Q: Why is the intersection of Art and Science so important to you and your work?

A.L. One intersection that was interesting to discuss with the artists was complexity. I have a lot of respect for artists because they are similar to scientists in the sense we are both creative people and are both trying to tackle complex situations while constantly trying to interpret them through some type of model. The models of course are different but the objectives are the same. I think there is a natural affinity there. So I was curious to find out how they would react to the complexity of a tropical rain forest and what kinds of insights they would have. 

Q: What was the highlight of the month?

A.L.  I took artists on field trips outside the wilderness to see other types of wilderness. My role was to interact with them over the weekend. I participated in the synthesis and introductory parts of the program. 

The highlight for me in the interaction was the perceptions that the artist had about the complexity of nature. I found out quickly in my interactions with them, that we spoke the same language. We both deal with complexity and we are both sensitive to complexity. Another interesting thing is we are equally interested in how humans interact with natural systems. That part really amazed me because we got into some heavy duty discussions about how nature and humans interact and develop novel, or new systems of nature. The depth of the discussions and the topics of the discussions were the highlight because for me, science is only for scientists, but to discover that the artists are  looking at the same phenomenon but from a different perspective was, ohhh, wow, how interesting.

"We are dealing with a living system and living systems change and always respond to our presence. "

Q: As a scientist do you feel like you influenced the artists?

A.L. First of all the artists inspired everyone at the Institute.  At the end when we had the summary which was done at the museum, I was in the audience listening to them, because at the beginning the scientists did most of the talking and then towards the end the artists did most of the talking. This was logical, because we introduced the wilderness towards the beginning and then during the closing stages they were telling us what they saw and interpreted.

When we had our final activity, we had all of our technicians as well as the scientists that had been out with them in the field throughout the month.  This activity gave us all two minutes to say something and I was really taken back by our technicians. They were very expressive of what the experience had done to them to the point that one of our technicians that had a lot of experience in the field and I’m talking in the order of 30 years.  She said that going out with the artists had been the highlight of her career.

That completely took me back and I said to her how can you say this? Were you overstating or what? Or was that really the way you felt? She said  that going out with the artists had been her highlight with the Forest Service. That impressed me because the person that I’m talking about is a very serious technician.

In the final activity I also realized the artist perception had changed because I don’t think we ever told this to them specifically, but they perceived that the Forest Service looks at things long term. They highlighted the importance of looking at things long term and they made a case for observing nature that way. That came out of them! We did not see that coming, it was their changed perception. So I am thinking to myself my god! They really found the heart of the research program and the Forest Service.The one thing that we all agreed within the agency is that our research is long term, this is what gives us value and the ability to understand forests. To have this group of strangers come to us and spend a month with us was truly an amazing thing. But to notice that they came out with a strong ethic of how important the long term is was absolutely remarkable.This really flabbergasted me and then to top it all, after the artists realized what the residency had done to them, they proceeded to ask the scientists how they felt about repetition.

Artists question scientists: "You guys, every week for the last month and year go out and visit the same place to do the same thing. how do you feel about the repetitive nature of your actions do you still have the wonder?"

A.L. - Of course our technicians, who are the ones that actually have to go the woods to the same place every single week, were then able to express that each time they find ways to entertain themselves in the woods.  Each time the forest becomes a new experience just by looking at them differently or by concentrating on a particular part of it so that it maintains the freshness of the first experience.It is never old for us to go to a litter basket, or data collection station, or a river reach. It is always wonderful for us even though we do it every week for the duration of our careers.

I would say that it was a very moving experience for me because I had never thought that our job would ever be visualized by anyone that would think that our work is boring because we are always doing the same thing. In reality we are not because we are dealing with a living system and living systems change and always respond to our presence.  So no matter how many times we visit we still have that sense of wonder that our eyes were capturing for the first time.

The artists, for example, all these artists, their style is to use whatever nature gives them to do their thing, and document their art and leave it behind. For example they were experimenting with pigments that they found in the woods or certain substances and their interpretations became something I have never seen before.  They looked at the forest from different angles and they did wonderful things to highlight parts of our job that we do as routine yet never pay attention to.

So all of that was part of the magic of the month. For the artists it was their first time in our wilderness, for us we rediscovered what we did through their eyes. It was fantastic; everybody here in Puerto Rico was uplifted by the experience.

Q: What was the most absurd situation you experienced at the El Toro Wilderness?

A.L. Well I told the artists that they made me feel stupid because you go out with the artists and they start asking you questions that you can’t answer. They ask you questions like, what is this, what is that? 

There was one woman that I took into the forest, and she asked me so many questions that I couldn't answer, because when you look at a complex system for the first time your eyes, they are looking at everything!  So she would point out to a color, or to a substrate, or an object and ask a question for each thing.  As a trained scientist when you don’t know the answer you have to say I don’t know because we don’t try to speculate. Personally, I am not a super naturalist, I am a systems ecologist. I am looking at the forest and I see functions in a visual process, and as the artists they are confronting you with the pieces of the forests.  So to me I felt dim-witted because I could not answer a lot of the questions that they were posing to me. It was an unusual situation because you always think that you are in control and when they start barraging you with questions that you can’t answer, it can really throw you off. 

Q: What was the most beneficial outcome of your experience?

A.L.  It’s the bliss thing that takes place. Everybody at the Institute felt better about what they do because of the interactions. But what I really treasure is that I made new friends. For example I now have some way to work with these artists here in Puerto Rico and we have the contacts of the people that are outside of Puerto Rico. So basically you have created new colleagues, and new people that are interested in what you do.  This new communication flow is important for the future of all of our emerging goals.

Looking Back at The El Toro Wilderness Residency (Bilingual)

An Interview with Elizabeth Robles 
Experiences from the El Toro Wilderness Residency. March 1-30, 2013 
By Ryan Mudgett

      

 Why were you interested in participating at the El Toro Wilderness residency?

E.R.-I was initially interested because I have been investigating sources of organic and mineral pigments in Puerto Rico, its extraction and use in my sculptures. Also because the process and its documentation are central in my work, and this would be an opportunity to make known that aspect of my work.

But undoubtedly, entering the density of the El Toro Wilderness ecosystems is something that one never knows what the outcome will be.

¿Por qué te interesó participar en la residencia de El Toro Wilderness?

De primera intención me interesó porque ya venía investigando fuentes de pigmento orgánico y mineral en Puerto Rico, su extracción y su uso en mis esculturas.  También porque el proceso y su documentación es parte central en mi trabajo, y ésta sería una oportunidad para dar a conocer este aspecto de mi obra.

Pero, sin duda, entrar a la densidad de los ecosistemas de El Toro Wilderness es algo de lo que una nunca sabe cómo saldrá.

 Why is the intersection of Art and Science so important to you and your work?

E.R.-The physical and chemical reactions of beeswax and pigment - its materiality-give my sculptures not only mass, color and texture, but also generate in them a latent state of change.  The ability to re-melt the wax and restart the process is part of the force or potential energy in them, and part of their fragility.  Its sensitivity to high temperatures, that transformational component of its substance, the constant change in the process, from solid/tempered to liquid/boiling and vice versa is key in my sculptures.  Hence processes, observation, documentation - the same as for the scientist-are a structural part of my sculptural work.

¿Por qué la intersección entre arte y ciencia es tan importante para ti y tu trabajo?

Las cualidades físicas y las reacciones químicas de la cera de abeja y los pigmentos — su materialidad— dan a mis esculturas no sólo masa, color en trasparencia y textura, sino que generan en ellas un estado siempre latente de cambio.  La posibilidad de volver a derretir la cera y reiniciar el proceso es parte de la fuerza o energía potencial en ellas, y parte de su fragilidad. Su sensibilidad a las altas temperaturas, ese componente de transformación de su materia, el paso constante, durante el proceso, de lo sólido/atemperado a lo líquido/caliente y viceversa es clave en mis esculturas. De ahí que el proceso, la observación y la documentación —de igual forma que para el científico— son parte estructural de mi trabajo escultórico.

 What are some of your reactions to the El Toro Wilderness? Any particular memories or first thoughts?

E.R.-The first thing we saw as a group was an aerial view map of El Toro Wilderness with Samuel Moya, that immenseness and richness will forever tempt me in my memory. At the same time, I’m still impressed by the rigorous constancy demanded by scientific research; entering the forest to measure the water or pick up fallen leaves, and other tasks in scientific research are governed by anything but an easy structure, it requires relentless concentration and focus, a real commitment.  That determination in work is also the artist's task.  Somehow, as I experienced it, the woods moved with me, we gradually opened and were immersed into each other, without knowing how.

¿Qué reacciones tienes a El Toro Wilderness? ¿Tienes alguna memoria en particular?

Lo primero que vivimos como grupo junto a Samuel Moya fue un mapa con vistas aéreas de El Toro Wilderness, esa magnitud y riqueza seguirá por siempre tentándome en mi memoria.  A su vez, todavía hoy me impresiona la consistencia rigurosa que demanda la investigación científica; entrar al bosque para medir el agua o recoger hojarasca, así como otras tareas son regidas por una estructura nada fácil, que requiere implacable concentración y enfoque, toda una entrega. Esa determinación de trabajo es también la tarea del artista. De alguna forma, para mí el bosque se movía conmigo, nos abríamos al paso y quedamos sumergidos el uno en el otro, sin saber cómo.

 

What was the highlight of the month?

E.R.-The month was full of highlights, in my case; each to and fro to the encounters with nature (ecosystems) allowed me to ponder on the complex political relationship of Puerto Ricans with our land. That was a constant spark.

¿Cuál fue el momento más distintivo durante el mes?

El mes estuvo lleno de momentos culminantes; en mi caso particular, cada ida y regreso a los encuentros con la naturaleza (ecosistemas) me permitió una reflexión sobre la compleja relación política de los puertorriqueños con la tierra propia.  Ésa fue un chispa constante.

Did you have any moments of enlightenment or realization during your time in El Toro?

E.R.-Our first outing was to the Forest of the Clouds; today I remember it as an introduction, as a warming up cue of things to come. Once we got to the top of the mountain, all of us standing on the on the stone were enveloped in a great silence.  From there I went to the mangrove...

                                                                                                     

¿Tuviste algún momento de iluminación o realización durante tu visita al Toro?

Nuestra primera salida fue al Bosque de las Nubes; hoy la recuerdo como una iniciación, como un calentamiento en clave de lo que vendría. Una vez llegamos a lo más alto de la montaña, todos sobre la piedra nos envolvimos en un gran silencio.  De ahí fui al mangle…

As a scientist do you feel like you influenced the artist? Or as an artist did you feel like you influenced the scientist you worked with? In what ways?

E.R.-I feel that my experience is more one of looking at each other in mutual encounter and acknowledgement.

¿Sientes que tú, como artista, has influenciado a algún científico?

Siento que mi experiencia más bien es una de mirarnos en reconocimiento  y encuentro mutuo. 

What was the most absurd situation you experienced at the El Toro Wilderness?

E.R.-When I sank into the ecosystem of the Pterocarpus officinalis (Palo de Pollo) in Humacao, and did not understand why it did not happen to María and Humberto.

¿Cuál fue la situación más absurda durante tu experiencia en El Toro?

Cuando me hundía en el ecosistema de Pterocarpus officinalis (Palo de Pollo) en Humacao y no entendía por qué no le ocurría a María y a Humberto.

What do you believe to be the most beneficial outcome of the experience?

E.R.-On the one hand, this experience has made it possible to establish supportive links between artists, scientists and technicians, so that my sculpture has been a collaboration, a joint work. So I have to give thanks to María Rivera, Humberto Robles, Grizelle González, William Gould, Olga Ramos, Dr. Ariel Lugo and Helen Nunci, photographers John Betancourt and Wilbert Rivera, among many others.  On the other hand, interaction with scientists has prompted new insights into the possibilities of transformation of matter, I am identifying other angles to investigate in depth, new hypotheses to explore; thus it is not limited to the creation of a sculpture, but it passes into my praxis, my life as an artist.

At the same time, it opened the possibility of the experience of sharing with the other artists; especially the dynamic and interesting dialogue and encounter at the Museum of Contemporary Art of Puerto Rico was another important phase of this project.  That opportunity was very revealing regarding distinctions, tensions or encounters between scientific and artistic thought.

¿Qué consideras es el resultado más beneficioso de tu experiencia?

Por un lado, la experiencia ha permitido establecer enlaces de apoyo entre artistas, científicos y técnicos, de modo que mi escultura ha sido una colaboración, un trabajo en conjunto.  Por lo que tengo que dar gracias a María Rivera, Humberto Robles, Grizelle González, William Gould, Olga Ramos, al Dr. Ariel Lugo y a Helen, a los fotógrafos John Betancourt y a Wilberto Rivera, entre muchos otros.  Por otro lado, la interacción con los científicos ha impulsado nuevas perspectivas en las posibilidades de transformación de la materia, voy identificando otros aspectos a investigar a profundidad, nuevas hipótesis a explorar; de modo que no se limita a la realización de una escultura, sino que pasa a mi práctica de vida como artista. 

A su vez, la posibilidad que abrió la experiencia de compartir con los otros artistas; especialmente lo dinámico e interesante del diálogo y encuentro en el Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Puerto Rico fue otra dimensión importante en este proyecto. Esa oportunidad fue muy reveladora respecto a distinciones, tensiones o encuentros entre el pensamiento científico y el artístico. 

Any other thoughts or suggestions for Colorado Art Ranch?

E.R.-I want to acknowledge the importance and significance of this initiative of the Colorado Art Ranch, particularly Grant Pound’s commitment with the study of the inseparable union of art and science, particularly his receptivity to the proposal of Dr. Grizelle González, in her irreplaceable request to include Puerto Rican artists in the project.  I acknowledge the extensive and crucial collaboration of Forestry Institute of el Yunque, P.R.  To have had access to ecosystems with ongoing scientific research along with several of its scientists, like Dr. Lugo and Dr. González, was fundamental to the success of this experience. This project had many dimensions, among them is making contemporary Puertorrican artists visible at the international level.

¿Tienes algún otro comentario o sugerencia para el Colorado Art Ranch?

Quiero reconocer la importancia y trascendencia de esta iniciativa del Colorado Art Ranch, particularmente al  Grant Pound por su compromiso con el estudio de la unión inseparable del arte y la ciencia; muy especialmente su apertura ante la propuesta de la Dra. Grizelle González, en su solicitud imprescindible de incluir a artistas puertorriqueños en el proyecto.  Reconozco la amplia y crucial colaboración  del Instituto de Dasonomía del Yunque, P.R.  Poder tener acceso a los ecosistemas en investigación por sus científicos, junto varios de sus investigadores, como el Dr. Lugo y la Dra. González, fue clave para el éxito de esta experiencia.   Este proyecto tiene muchas dimensiones, entre ellas permite visibilidad a la gestión de artistas puertorriqueños contemporáneos en el plano internacional. 

Respect to a Dynamic World

Photo &Blog ~Ryan Mudgett

The role of beauty and its position in conservation was always a very serious matter to Aldo Leopold, which can be seen in his most famous book A Sand County Almanac. Without finding simple pleasures in nature it may be quite difficult to listen to what your environment has to tell you. Leopold writes at the beginning of the section “Song of Gavilan,” “The life of every river sings its own song, but in most the song is long since marred by the discords of misuse.” Here he is speaking of a global cycle of anthropocentric perturbations which includes land and water misuse. He goes on to say “Overgrazing first mars the plants and then the soil. Rifle, trap, and poison next deplete the larger birds and mammals; then come a park or forest with roads and tourists. Parks are made to bring the music to the many, but by the time many are attuned to hear it there is little left but noise”(Leopold 159). This noise Leopold speaks of is best tied in at the end of the section where he writes “That the good life on any river may likewise depend on the perception of its music, and the preservation of some music to perceive, is a form of doubt not yet entertained by science” (Leopold 163). We can appreciate rivers by learning how to listen to their harmony. Each drainage and its corresponding riparian habitats have their own melody. It’s up to the listener to decide whether or not they enjoy the music or not.  It can be tough to appreciate all the splendors of nature when you are constantly reminded of all the harm we have done. I think it is time to find joy in all of the complexities that our wilderness provides us no matter what landscape you live in. There is nature everywhere, and don’t forget we humans are part of it as well.  Even if you are not quite sure what it is that makes your landscape so amazing, a sense of wonder can often lead into a journey of passion and stewardship for the land and waters that you call home.