palimpsest
Walking the salt marshes of the Sprague River intertidal zone in the Morse Mountain Conservation Area, Palimpsest invited participants to read marsh history by looking both deep into the stratigraphic layers of the earth and regarding it from above. We pulled a soil core that allowed us to see earth’s time as a vertical element, as traces written palimpsest in shifting terrain beneath our feet, and considered sea level rise in the context of 12,500 years of our planet’s history. We learned about the critical role wetlands and marsh grasses play in carbon sequestration and climate change, and consider our own body's relationship to time. This walk was organized in collaboration with geologist Beverly Johnson.
Palimpsest was part of PLATFORM PROJECTS/WALKS: ecologies of the local which included artist led walks and talks regarding local ecology and climate-related changes, and a partner exhibition at Speedwell projects focusing on walking art and ecology.