Tremors

2018

94-124 years of annual average temperature for the top nine oil-extracting states in the US (Texas, North Dakota, Alaska, California, New Mexico, Oklahoma, Louisiana, Colorado, and Montana), plant fibers, plant- and insect-derived dyes, petrochemical-derived dye

9 panels, each 18” x 20-24”

In 2018 the US became the world’s largest extractor of oil and natural gas in the world. We are all fully intertwined with and dependent on this industry, even as we are increasingly aware of the violence it perpetuates. The country’s ability to claim this title relies heavily on ever more invasive, destructive, and risky forms of extraction like deep water drilling and hydraulic fracturing.

Tremors is comprised of woven interpretations of climate data for the top nine oil extracting states in America. The colors reference art deco ornamentation, a symbol of early 20th century oil wealth in Oklahoma while the patterning draws from visual depictions of seismic data.

Photo credits: Philip Maisel