Michigan Forest Fire

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Burnt tree trunks hung on metal chains 10 x 8 x 6 feet

THIS INSTALLATION COMMEMORATES a forest fire in central Michigan ignited by an arsonist. I gathered dozens of charred tree trunks from the ground where they fell and hung them in a white cube space. This futile effort at reconstituting the dead trees evokes the emotions of loss and destruction that arise from the blackened trees still standing in the devastated forest. Placed indoors, the quietly hanging trunks are a metaphor of human bodies perishing from the consequences of abusing nature. The charred trees create an ominous presence expressing the fragility and vulnerability of life.

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