Holly Harris ’22
Major(s): Earth and Oceanographic Science, Minor: Visual Arts
Altered Book, 6ft x 8in (click image to enlarge)
For this altered book piece, I utilized the intricate botanical sketches and historical images within this culturally important comprehensive ecological Californian dictionary to rewrite the story of Western forests and illuminate the failure of our aim to conserve precious ecosystems. Collaging pages and stringing them together enabled me to bring the botanical specimens together, signifying one, interdependent ecosystem. Burning these pages as a following step, I utilized the destruction to highlight quotes from Willis Linn Jepson that resonated, echoing a past of hope and appreciation, superimposed upon present climate crisis-related circumstances.