ROOT MASS, Caitlind Brown, 2023
ROOT MASS is an adornments for the death cycle of a fallen tree. A line gesture in the landscape drawing from material concepts previously explored through AFTERGLOW/Aftergrowth (2019), ROOT MASS was created in response to the exposed root ball of a fallen tree at Empire of Dirt, an artist residency on third-growth forest on the unceded traditional territory of the Yaqan Nukiy within the Ktunaxa Nations, near Creston, British Columbia.
The tree had blown over in a wind storm and it’s thick, serpentine roots splayed like tendrils in the air, caked in dry, dusty dirt. The resulting structure was imposing, architectural, and inviting, resembling a forest galaxy or subterranean octopus – a home for spiders, rats, or burrowing creatures.
The trunk and branches were still attached, but fire-safety will soon require their removal, destined for the sawmill and decking, firewood, or the sculptural material of other artists at EoD. Root masses are more complicated, prohibited from burn piles in BC. It’s likely that this structure will remain in the forest for many years to come.
Fallen trees can be evidence of environmental changes: drought, storms, logging, and extreme weather can lead to a decrease in forest stability. However, trees should fall in a healthy forest, contributing to cycles of decay and regrowth that nourish the surrounding ecology, contributing to the complex interdependence of an environment alive with flora and fauna.
This particular tree was alive before it fell, and appeared to be in good health. Touching its substantial roots, it felt impossible to imagine any outside force strong enough to topple such a powerful being – but the wind across Kootenay Valley is a monumental hyperobject, especially during a storm. Contemplating this root ball, one can’t help but imagine the violent moment when the tree roots were ripped from the dirt, left to point at the sky in a frozen tableaux of longing.
ROOT MASS is intended as a small gesture of celebration for the death cycle of a significant conifer; a line drawing in collaboration with the fallen tree. Delicate dots entwine the roots like an infestation of luminous insects, cut from reflective Prismatic material. Often used as the substrate for road signs, Prismatic is designed to reflect headlights, flashlights, and other light sources, illuminating passively like the eyes of a nocturnal creature.
ROOT MASS is a celebration of growth, death, and change. Part found sculpture and part death shroud, the piece was created with reverence for the tree that once towered overhead, the roots that gripped the earth, the dirt that held it firmly for many years, and the wind that blew it over.
With thanks to Wayne, Marnie, Jim, and Empire of Dirt.
Caitlind r.c. Brown & Wayne Garrett 