When we first came to the XS gallery, we were immediately struck by the ever-changing sky and desert landscape, visible from the gallery window: intense sun, dramatic light, windblown cloud sculptures, moving shadows of passing planes and birds, and the parched dryness of
the earth. Gusty winds rattled the door and sent shifting sands under its ledge, invading the protected inner space of the college. These first impressions became the basis for research we did on the local
landscape, water and environmental issues, such as birds dropping dead out of the sky from historical watering holes polluted from agricultural pesticides.

The installation engaged viewers with incoming images and sounds on the monitor from a microphone outside. Recreated elements of the Nevada landscape included drying, cracking claybeds in Nevada silver-state shaped boxes. A beautifully etched glass globe symbolically dripped diminishing clean water left in the world; evaporating water from local lakes left salt residues; and moving shadows of threatened birds danced on the gallery walls, all raising issues about man’s interaction with the environment.

XS Gallery, Western Nevada Community College,
Carson City, Nevada