Little Event Horizon on the Prairie - A Work in Progress
"Little Event Horizon on the Prairie" leans on the physics concept of event horizon—the point where matter cannot escape a black hole's pull—as a metaphor for Minnesota's vanishing prairies. Like matter crossing into a black hole, our original prairie ecosystems have largely disappeared beyond recovery, leaving only scattered remnants and human-made reconstructions.
This body of work explores what remains of Minnesota's prairie landscapes through large-scale photographic compositions enhanced with gold leaf. The project examines how these fragmented ecosystems survive in overlooked corners of our modern landscape, drawing connections between prairie remnants and the biblical idea of remnant populations—small groups that endure against overwhelming odds.
The work questions what we mean by "prairie restoration." When we recreate these ecosystems, are we truly bringing back what was lost, or are we constructing something entirely new? The application of gold leaf to these images creates a conversation between the preciousness of what we're losing and the symbolic power of gold itself—valuable, enduring, yet transformed by human hands.
My process mirrors the fragmented nature of the prairies themselves. I print photographs in multiple pieces, experiment with gold leaf application on selected sections, and reassemble them into unified artworks. This approach of breaking apart and rebuilding reflects both the vulnerable state of prairie remnants and their potential for renewal. Like the physics concept behind the project's title, photographic fragments enter the artistic process and emerge transformed—precious but fundamentally changed from their original form. Not all images in the project will be leafed.
The gold leafing process remains ongoing and experimental, allowing each piece to evolve as I discover which elements resonate most powerfully when transformed by this ancient decorative technique.
The squares are works in progress and not completely finished.
A little support goes a long way! If you’d like to help me keep creating, you can do so at https://ko-fi.com/pamelasherlock
