When I was invited by YoloArts to exhibit “Huia: A Story of Extinction (Deforestation)” in their current show, I was prompted to review and revise the work. The installation, which honors this extinct New Zealand bird and chronicles its demise due to overhunting and habitat destruction, includes recreations of the huia from native branches. Initially I made a calligraphic interplay of bird forms that were attractive, but not conceptually aligned with the piece. While creating the current iteration, I remembered the devastating effects of clearcutting lumber practices on native species.
“Huia: A Story of Extinction” is exhibited in Women Eco Arts Dialog: The Legacy of Jo Hanson at The Barn Gallery, 512 Gibson Road, Woodland, CA from March 12 to June 18, 2020.
Huia: A Story of Extinction (Deforestation), 2020, Salvaged lumber, native branches, photograph (James Bragge, Bush Scene, circa 1875, reproduction from black and white collodion glass negative, Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa), audio from the New Zealand Broadcasting Corporation’s 1954 recording of Maori tracker Henare Hamana’s whistled huia call, 7 x 3 x 3 feet