Public Art in Bishop, CA
A collaborative art installation by Rodney Thompson and Steve White
Window Statement:
“The Value of Nature
How do we think of the value of the nature and land around us?
Does it have intrinsic value simply because it is natural, wild and beautiful?
Or does it need to figure into some economic equation to be considered worthwhile?
Is there a price or a use that would make it seem worth changing or even destroying?
What if mining or water storage was desired to meet future needs? Would it seem reasonable
to destroy wilderness to access resources?
This art installation is based on beautiful sinuous segments of the Owens River,
and was inspired by “Trout Fishing in America” by Richard Brautigan
(an author known for surreal social commentary),
where the narrator visits a “wrecking yard” to examine “lengths of a used trout steam for sale”.
The metaphor relates to seeing nature as a commodity.”
About the public art installation:
Public art enriches a community in many ways. It can contribute to a sense of place and a shared identity – as well as encouraging visitors to explore a city.
Bishop is a special place where most of us are here because of that love of a shared environment.
Public art is freely visible and available to everyone, not confined to galleries or museums.
For the artist it is an incredible opportunity to create work that might not otherwise be possible. The artist is not necessarily constrained by scale (such as the murals), or the need to be economically viable. It may be ephemeral or not fit the usual limitations of walls or pedestals.
The artist may also explore ideas that create dialog or stimulate conversation within the community.
When I heard of this call for storefront art, I immediately contacted my friend Steve White. We had collaborated on a similar project a couple of years ago and enjoy working creatively together.
We initially brainstormed several ideas, wanting to make something that related to our local area as well as offering an interesting concept.
We ultimately settled on an idea inspired by an image I had carried in my mind for over 40 years. It came from a book called Trout Fishing in America, by Richard Brautigan. In one chapter the narrator visits a wrecking yard where lengths of used trout stream were for sale by the foot. Although absurd but compelling, the metaphor related to the idea of commodification of nature – that nature has the potential to be chopped up and sold as a commodity.
To adapt this image to our area we based our design on maps of the Owens River. I am fascinated by the beauty of its sinuous, serpentine path through the valley. The execution needed to present this concept as well as being ascetically pleasing, as well as fitting into the specific site of a storefront window. Scaffolding and a stage like setting had to be created to isolate the display in the window.
Although neither of us has worked with poured resin before, it seemed like the perfect medium to accomplish our goal of representing the river’s beauty as well as the idea of it being cut into segments and racked up on display.
To further develop the idea of nature as commodity we added other natural elements, fish of the Owens Valley, rocks and cattails.
All these elements have bar codes attached.
Now bar codes are not price tags. Rather they are a means to identify specific items and access an inventory.
So, our installation raises the question of how do we value the inventory of the nature and land around us. Does it have value for its intrinsic beauty, wildness and spiritual connections, or as a commodity that we can exploit.
How we answer that question often changes over time, with changing attitudes and needs for raw materials or developed space, but our wild lands are finite and limited and we cannot always put a price tag on the spiritual benefits it provides us.
The window may be viewed at River Queen Provisions (Old Ben Franklin Building), 162 N Main St, Bishop, CA