Portfolio

Beneath the BOG

Researchers at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory use robotic minirhizotron cameras to document the growth of roots and their interaction with fungi underground. These images are taken consistently to track the effects of global rising temperatures. Each image in the mosaic measures approximately 2 x 3mm and is magnified 100x for viewing.

I converted these images into digital negatives and created gelatin silver prints that highlight the roots, fungi, and insects. Their origination as digital images for collecting data remains through their imperfect exposure and the mosaic used to assemble multiple tiny images.

Special thanks to Dr. Colleen Iversen and Dr. Joanne Childs for their assistance in this research and accessing the original digital images.

Spruce

An experimental forest exists in Bovey, MN. Within the Marcell Experimental Forest, a boreal peatland forest, researchers are running the Spruce and Peatlands Responses under Changing Environments (SPRUCE) experiment. This multi-year experiment is testing the effects of belowground warming through 21 plots, measuring the ecological response from shrubs to microbial communities. The data collected is transmitted to researchers across the globe.

 Through repeated site visits, I documented the structure and scale of the project. As I visited in the sixth year of the experiment, I captured how nature has responded to the scientific instruments.  

Peat-forming sphagnum moss

Sphagnum moss, also known as peat moss, is critical to the peatlands ecosystem and their ability to store carbon. This moss is threatened when peatlands are harvested or drained, most commonly for agriculture and horticulture.

 In this experimental work, I hand cut images collected from repeated visits to Volo Bog in Lake County, IL. When viewing this work in person, the collage cascades down the wall and onto the ground.