Self Guided Tour
Map of trails at Prairie Creek Reservoir
Self Guided Tour:
Park at the trail parking lot (P) and follow the gravel trail north and west through Maple Grove.
Trespasser. Found Tree.
The artists dissected a fallen tree trunk by cutting it into segments that were spread out sequentially where it fell in the woods. This minimalist artwork expresses a singular act of slicing a tree trunk into sections. The installation distills the conversation about deforestation, forest fires, and waste of natural resources to a basic act of aggression.
Mycorrhizal Networks. Paracord, Trees.
In Mycorrhizal Networks, a group of trees have been tied together with paracord creating an artificial canopy overhead. The installation expresses notions about Forest Mycorrhizal Networks, a root-based form of consciousness linking plants in local ecosystems. Plants communicate through the mycorrhizal network in a similar manner to data traveling through color-coded wires in electronic networks.
Core Markers. Concrete, Found Objects, Found Materials, Plaster
The permanent sculptural installations include dozens of sculptural trail markers made from forest materials and discarded plastic items found in the woods. These markers have been strategically placed by the side of the pathways like a series of core samples showing sediment layers beneath the forest floor.
Steppingstones. Concrete, Found Objects, Found Materials, Plaster
A series of stepping stones have also been laid across Prairie Park Creek for visitors to explore. They will be made from a similar mix of natural and manmade items to create a group of sculptural objects intruding upon the stream. As such, they embody a physical expression of human transgressions in the landscape.
Gordian Knot. Found materials and objects.
The artists have also wrapped a series of tree trunks with upcycled plastic items, involving an acre-sized grove of trees. The colorful installation represents the bondage of trees as a metaphor for human bodies and expresses the restriction of natural growth cycles. It questions the sustainability of our globalized culture focused on overproduction and mass consumption.