(2018)

Collaboration with artists, Rachel Zollinger and Jessica Zeglin

paint made from soil collected from acequia and surrounding fields, video compilation

Terra Macrobiota illuminated the tiny, vital creatures that terraform and inform the world around us, but especially in the acequias, ponds, and water systems. Water and soil samples were collected from these places to look at, observe, and identify the microbiota. These samples also became our materials as we used what was collected to paint a mural composed of our microscopy imagery. Oxygen bubbles became a pattern, and stencils of the microorganisms populated this pattern.

Once the sun set, a video taken from our microscopy sessions turned the micro into macro, creating a scale shift and allowing visitors to observe the stenciled organisms and their movements and interactions. For the exhibition, several microscopes were set up alongside the mural with samples so viewers could peak into this world. The microbiota in the acequia system are vital, but completely overlooked, contributors to the health of the ecology and high-desert farming systems.