The Sierra Nevada is a mountain range located in California and Nevada that is over 400 miles in length and is the home to many tall peaks including Mount Whitney(14,505 feet), the tallest mountain in the contiguous United States. During the late summer month of August, I embarked on a multi-day trek into the heart of the eastern Sierra. The trip started outside of the town of Independence at a trail head named Onion Valley and finished over a week later at the top of Mount Whitney. The purpose of the trip was to create art works along the way, ephemeral installations, as part of my "Lost Art" series.
View from Forester Pass 13200 feet
Photographer: Christopher Casanova
Kings Canyon National Park, California
August 2011
My intention was to complete a piece everyday, however, due to foul weather and general exhaustion, I completed only two sculptures. I had grossly underestimated the Sierra Nevada mountains. The extreme altitudes and grueling climbs made it difficult to just survive.
"Forester" Installation View #1
Artist: Christopher Casanova
Kings Canyon National Park, California
Materials: Tree trunk and stones
August 2011
"Forester" Installation View #2-Sunset
Artist: Christopher Casanova
Kings Canyon National Park, California
Materials: Tree trunk and stones
August 2011
"Forester" Installation View #3-Silhouette
Artist: Christopher Casanova
Kings Canyon National Park, California
Materials: Tree trunk and stones
August 2011
My initial idea was to make sculptures that involved the setting or rising sun. Working with tools that estimated the exact position of the sun at sunrise and sunset, my plan was to construct installations with windows that would frame the rising or setting sun.
It was so beautiful and pure that at first, I had difficulty imaging what I could possibly construct. It was very important to me that what ever I made would indeed disappear on its own. These places can only be visited by foot or in some cases horse back, and are untouched by any thing but nature. I wanted to leave no trace and work with elements that were already in some state of erosion.
At the higher altitudes, above the tree line, I started to find these really beautiful sections of tree trunks, that were bleached by the sun. I gathered stones and built walls that incorporated these tree trunks. The end result were these sculptures with windows. I discovered that they were beautiful with full light, very interesting with the sun shining through the windows and provocative back lit seen as silhouettes. I was very happy with the results.
"Big Horn" Installation View #1
Artist: Christopher Casanova
Kings Canyon National Park, California
Materials: Tree trunk and stones
August 2011
"Big Horn" Installation View #2-Sunrise
Artist: Christopher Casanova
Kings Canyon National Park, California
Materials: Tree trunk and stones
August 2011
"Big Horn" Installation View #3-Silhouette
Artist: Christopher Casanova
Kings Canyon National Park, California
Materials: Tree trunk and stones
August 2011
