Often the result of cataclysmic cosmic events, impact craters signify something at once violent and poetic, visually signaling trauma. According to American astronomer, cosmologist and astrophysicist Carl Sagan, impact craters are visible marks, or scars, on the face of the earth that can last for billions of years. People often hide their own personal trauma, making it invisible underneath the surface of their own memories and experiences. I found it to be a compelling idea to think about how our planet, instead, exposes its wounds and trauma, there for all to see and experience. I also couldn’t help but think of the “meteor” that hit our White House just weeks before embarking on this work, contemplating how we’ve all been communally traumatized, transformed by events seemingly beyond our control.
Installation photos by Jeff McLane
Installation at SPARK, South Pasadena, CA