The record warm spring we experienced in the Kentuckiana area is being followed by the extreme record heat of this summer. Twice I have ventured out to the Falls when the thermometer had passed 100 degrees Fahrenheit or 40 on the Celsius scale. My youngest son told me (without prompting) that he thought this heat was evidence of global warming. The idea that we could alter the climate in some way has reached our children’s consciousness and changed their awareness of what kind of world they will inherit. Kids get it…why don’t politicians and business leaders do the same? This should be a global priority because the quality of our environment makes everything else possible. I’m at the river today to continue this role I’ve created for myself as witness/participant in this historic place. Here’s a brief record of what I found and made on a particularly brutal day. I’ll start with more coal flakes that I made at the water’s edge.
Walking around the park at its eastern edge, I collected the river-polished coal I came across and with these black rocks created two designs. Because of the heat, it doesn’t take long for my clothes to start sticking to my skin. For relief, I splash water over my face and arms. At first, I left the interior of one of the flakes open, but later decided to change it. I did scout around for the other coal projects I had left here previously, but they were either missing or deliberately destroyed.
Here is the second design with the interior filled on the first coal flake. Why some people find my “art” to be more offensive than the trash that is ordinarily found here is puzzling to me? Why more people don’t find all the random trash to be an eyesore and do something about that is another mystery. My best answer is that “art” has a way of focusing and concentrating energy that stands above the ordinary. To be noticed is not always a good survival strategy. My work gets hammered because it sticks out and there is something in the human condition that would rather break things than fix them.
It’s still morning and I see the resident Black vulture colony is also at the river’s edge looking for dead fish or fishing bait. There’s nothing like coming across a partially opened pack of chicken livers that some fisherman brought for catfish bait. The flies and the vultures say thank you. I’ve come to think of these vultures as familiars and part of me likes to believe that they even recognize me and allow me to approach a little closer than usual.
A couple of hours later and the vultures have done what I’m about to do…namely seeking shade and relief under the willow trees. I find a few vultures standing on the ground with their wings outspread trying to catch the slimmest of breezes, but there is none today. Reaching my stash of Styrofoam I look around and everything appears as I left it. It’s just been too hot for most folks to want to be out here. Rummaging around the polystyrene, I chose a few pieces and construct a new figure. This piece has remained nameless, but if you out there in the wide world want to name it…that’s fine with me. It’s also been too hot to think of titles and names. He is another in a long line of absurd figures I’ve created with the collaboration of nature. Here’s the head made from Styrofoam, coal eyes, fishing float nose, some kind of plastic piece for the mouth, and wooden ears.
As you can see from the last image…I have lots more Styrofoam to use up before our next big flood. I began my latest figure with the body. I came across a piece that suggested a sitting pose and so that is what I made. Upon completion, I moved my new “friend” to various locations and tried him out in various contexts.
In the end, I decided to pose my figure in the remains of a private outdoor party that was held out here since my last visit. This must have been no ordinary “celebration” based on all the spray painted graffiti now on the logs and stumps surrounding their camp fire. Take a look.
I’m more accustomed to seeing graffiti in an urban setting where tagging trash dumpsters and buildings is common place. I’m still sorting out how I feel about coming across a scene like this? Has anything actually been harmed…it doesn’t appear so. When lovers cut their initials into the bark of a living tree, those cuts are there for the life of the tree. All this spray painted wood is dead. Still, this hardly seems like a nature loving act especially since the “artists” left their large beer bottles behind. I think they did it because they could. Their handiwork to my eye also lacks an aesthetic dimension, but now I’m sounding like an old-fashioned art critic. I guess here is as good a place to say that I’m taking a hiatus from visiting the park to recover from my impending knee surgery. I’ve been stomping about out here with a bad left knee for over a year and it hasn’t gotten better on its own. An MRI showed two tears in my lateral and medial meniscus. With hope, I won’t be down long and I will continue the riverblog with other stuff probably from my various collections. I’ll end this post with a small piece of plastic I found on this hot, hot day. Since I started this post with some perceptions from a child about the environment…perhaps it is even appropriate? It may take something akin to divine intervention to improve the condition of the world.
Artist at Exit 0 Riverblog 
well said, Albertus. The next generations of humans will not look kindly on 20th and early 21st century denizens. Not to say that the rest of the world is making huge strides in dealing with the causes and effects of climate change, but the fact that here in the U.S. we still have to fight an ardent lobby of disinformation just to officially acknowledge that there’s a problem shows just how entrenched and almighty ignorance and greed are in this country. It’s unfortunate, but these widespread droughts, floods, fires, and heat waves may be the one thing that will wake people up, finally. By the time they get bad enough where they really affect enough people’s personal lives to be acknowledged as the global crisis they’re part of it may already be too late, but giving up is not really an option either, so we have to keep doing the best we can, both personally, nationally, and globally.
Question: Is the water in the river clean enough to jump in and cool off?
Sven, I really appreciate your commitment and ability to articulate what is happening in the environment and our role in it. You are right that we all need to “do the best we can” and quitting is not an option…ever. As for the Ohio River…it is cleaner than it was 20 years a go, but it is still not recommended that you eat a lot of fish from here. I know people who do swim in the river, but it depends on where on the river you are because the currents can also be treacherous. On this day, I just splashed a little water on myself and saved the full body immersion for home.
Vultures (opportunist) are allowing you to get a little closer….just don’t stand still to long or lay down and fall asleep. They may be looking to have a feast. The feast being you!
Best wishes on a healthy knee recovery.
Thanks Bernie, I’m hopeful that all I (k)need is a tune-up and I’ll be out in the world in no time. You’ll laugh at this, but once upon a time I did lay on the rocks hoping to catch the attention of vultures..but they didn’t fall for it. I wonder if they could see me breathing? To some this may sound morbid, but I wouldn’t mind a vulture funeral like some Himalayan monks do when my time comes. Sounds better to me than being pickled in a wooden box inside a concrete vault. What if reincarnation is just recycling your body into nutrients for other life to sustain itself?
Hey, I’m with you on the recycling the body thing. I’m not sure I’d want to be a vulture’s dinner, but having a green burial is an option I like.
I think this is called “sky ritual”.
Is that what the burial by vulture is called? I like the idea a lot.
Another great post. When I saw your new creation, before the whole thing came into view, I thought it had teddy bear ears, but the rest of him sure doesn’t look like a teddy bear. The photos of the vultures are great. Would you mind if I pinned them on Pinterest? I have a huge collection of critters on there and would like to add your photo. If you don’t want me to, I won’t. I’d also love to pin some of your creations as art I like.
I can’t believe it’s so hot out there. We’ve got mid-to-high 90s here, but it’s dry and bearable. I feel so bad for all the people affected by the heat.
Good luck with your knee surgery. I hope you have a very quick recovery.
In a comment you sent me you said maybe I should try something like you’re doing. Well, we DO have some interesting things (skulls & miscellaneous bones, among others) out in the desert, but I’m not very creative with making something out of nothing. However, we play a game called geocaching and we have travel bugs as part of the game, some of which hubby and I like to play with and make up stories about before we send them out again (the looks we get from people as we play with the little toys or coins are priceless). Here’s a link to one of our outings with a geocoin (a type of travel bug): wanderingseniors.wordpress.com/2010/12/11/a-geocoin-goes-to-angel-stadium/ I hope it comes up. That’s the extent of our creativity.
Take care. I’ll be looking forward to seeing more creations in the near future.
Yes, you have my permission to post the photos. I’ve heard of geocaching before. My wife directs an historic house museum here and the property has been used in the game. Thanks for the well wishes about the knee.
All the best wishes for your knee surgery. Been there with my daughter several years back.
As for our species as a whole getting a solid clue about the health of the ONLY planet we have for living on–well, let’s just say lately my thoughts reside on the dark side.
Been 100 plus here for over a week. It’s not pretty. I can’t bear it. The birds aren’t too thrilled either.
Take care, Al.
Thanks Eva…I hope your daughter had a full recovery? I don’t think I will be down long, but I’ll know more tomorrow. At the moment, the weather is wonderful now that the heat has moved away. Two days a go, we flirted with Kentucky’s all-time high at 107 degrees, but fell a degree short. All our poor plants are suffering and some are looking like fall already. You and the birds…hang in there!!
Yes a full recovery. Take care.
Pync could be a name for your creation it is Welsh for Punk the name came to me seeing her sitting on the gravity drift-wood.
All art starts somewhere and gravity art (some call it street art) start with just leaving a mark.
The first photo shows how the planet is cracking up under the weight of human actions. Yet the second photo shows how human actions can be very positive for the planet.
The planet will recover from our coal mining and some people help her along and others stop her. Some old coal-mines have become lovely nature reserves with the help of humans. Even when we leave things alone nature comes back.
While i write this the sky opened here and the cutters on the house became waterfalls, it all washed clean.
Good luck with you knee operation.
Thanks Magda for the name of my latest Styrofigure! I left him sitting by all my outdoor studio and wonder if he’s still there or intact? Looking forward to walking alongside the river again.