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v i s u a l arts beneath our feet deserves our respect and utmost attention. Lying beneath us lives an unnoticed presence: the infimtesimally tin) organisms thai prepare the earth for future forests. Swedish researchers now suspect replanting may not be good enough in the long run-that the land may not be able to sustain more than three plantings before Ihe soil is stripped of its valtlable nutrients altogether. The installation is comprised of a floor piece representing one square metre of forest floor; hanging loosely on a wall are 216 sheets of delicate oriental Kozo paper bearing etched images of soil fauna: and a collage measuring over 12 feet across and wide is mounted on a wall. The highly textured collage is made of disposed materials which originated in the forest: newspapers, flyers and junk mail are reduced lo pulp and pressed into sheets along with peat, soil, straw and other materials from what the artists refer to as an "organic palette." This is all accompanied by a sound tape which alternately plays the soft sounds of a forest rainfall with those of human footsteps hurrying through Grand Central Station in New York City. The installation recently appeared at Alberta's provincial art gallery. It was at the Studio Art Gallery in Capilano College for two weeks in October before going to the Art Gallery of London, Ontario. Other venues are being planned. Shelley Kean is the Public Officer at Capilano Relations College. CS R I S T M A S - by Shelley Kean If more than 4,000 bugs were looking at you from ankle level to the ceiling you would either be in dire need of an exterminator, or viewing the installation Earthmakers by artists Barbara Zeigler and Joan Smith. Their dynamic perspective bring art and science together to emphasize the delicate and intricate nature of our ecosystem. Earthmakers is an example of how science can be both simple and visually pleasing. Smith, a member of the Art Institute at Capilano College, and Zeigler, a member of the Fine Arts faculty at the University of British Columbia, collaborated on a project they hope will increase the awareness of the essential part soil fauna play in the delicate life cycle of the forest and the earth's ecosystem. With their ceiling-high installation, all the tiny microcosms normally found in the soil are magnified to overwhelm viewers with the sheer abundance of life contained within one square metre of earth. In all, there approximately 4,320 bugs coming at you from floor to ceiling height. Earthmakers focusses on the implications of human intervention in the natural cycles of a system we cannot see and. more specifically, on how we treat our forests. It demonstrates how the world which lies British Columbia Boys j ^Z? C h o r M e n ' s Choir L e o n i C h o i r December 1", 1995 · 8 pm St. Andrew's Wesley, Vancouver December 3 , 1995 · 3 pm d West Vancouver United Church $16 Adults/$14 Seniors+Students Ticketmaster 280-4444 Information 926-5230 f * 3 J P D e l b r o o k ' s 9th C r a f t Fair Nov 25 & 26 10 am - 4 pm 600 West Queens Rd. North Vancouver 987-PLAY (7529) 100 A^Crafters each day!! The selection will astound you! Earthmakers at the Edmonton Art Gallery Installation. 199S. Photo: ß. Zeigler FREE Admission