I’m honored to have participated my first sci-art exhibit, Dust on a Glacier, a collection focused on Antarctic glacier research and the concept of scale!

My interests in how natural processes shape environments and ecosystems led me to a very literal interpretation of “Dust on a Glacier”: I started by experimenting with putting a layer of snow on top of each sheet of paper then sprinkling pigment over it and letting it undergo freeze thaw cycles on my porch. I was interested in how the paper texture would influence pigment distribution so I used a hot press (smooth), cold press (rough), and ‘extra rough’ paper. When reading through the journal articles published under this grant, I realized surface texture was also a topic explored at a glacial scale. The maps included in that paper inspired me to ‘carve’ a glacier out of each sheet and add embroidered flow paths using patterns I observed between surface roughness and flow paths.

While it was inspired by real glaciers science, it’s not trying to be scientific illustration that directly explains the science. Rather something to get people thinking, noticing, and asking questions. The actual research paper looked at changes over time for the same glaciers and hypothesized on the processes that produced those changes while I created three different hypothetical glaciers that also explored a range of textures but aren’t maps of a real places, rather loosely inspired by my own map observations.

Thanks to all the other participating artists as well as Anna Bergstrom (researcher), the National Science Foundation (funding), Teal Gardner (exhibit curator/organizer), and Ming Studios (gallery) for making this cool exhibit happen!