 The Many Colors of Mammoth Hot Springs by Robby Edwards Rosemary Mammoth Hot Springs, Yellowstone We have focused down on one ecosystem this week. The Mammoth Hot Springs of Yellowstone have the appearance of an extra-terrestrial landscape. Revisiting Extremophiles To speculate on a creature that could survive in an environment like Mammoth Hot Springs, I have been looking for organisms that can survive extreme temperatures. I can borrow their adaptations to systematically change a native animal of Yellowstone to create a speculative thermoacidophilic creature.
 Elk at Opal Terrace, Mammoth Hot Springs, Photo by Jim Peaco, 1997. Jill Hello All, This week we continued to look at ecosystems at hydrothermal vents and hot springs. I continued to work on story, did some drawing and thinking about adaptation to environment and curation of collections. Hot Springs Rose and I discussed the different types of hot springs (volcanic and non-volcanic) and how water is heated and mineral rich waters are cycled up to the surface. Yellowstone is a wonderful example and was central to our discussion regarding temperature, pH, microbial organisms, diversity of geysers, hot springs, and mineral deposits. We narrowed down a good starting location at the travertine terraces at Mammoth Hot Springs for some creature concept art. We are going to start with waters cool enough that larger animals can tolerate, such as these elk sensibly partaking in a warm soak. What characteristics does a creature have that can soak in warm water and walk across mineral crusts? What is their heat tolerance?
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Rosemary Thoughts on collaboration This week has been quite challenging focusing down our ideas into a project that will resonate with people. I have found it very enjoyable and intriguing to work outside of my comfort zone in developing a narrative. For example, as a Concept Artist, the narrative of a production is brought to the table as the part of the initial brief but now I am contributing to the development of the narrative from the outset. Also, I am now looking deeper into why things are the way they are, rather than just choosing inspiration for aesthetic reasons. For example, we have been looking at the colours of volcanic phenomena this week and finding out from Jill the chemical and organic reason why lava is a certain iridescent colour is fascinating and lends a new layer of context to my visual research. Moodboards of colours, textures and art direction I have been collating visual references into moodboards to crystallize the art direction for the project. First, I have focused on environments to give our project a sense of place. Jill and I are both very inspired by the colours and textures of volcanic activity with a focus on hydrothermal features and the juxtaposition of fire and ice. Microorganisms of Yellowstone National Park.Jill and I are both fascinated by extremophiles. Thermophilic bacteria produce unique and brilliant colours in the hydrothermal features of Yellowstone, such as the Grand Prismatic Spring. The grouping of the thermophiles into microbial mats also creates wonderful textures. More information about the thermophilic bacteria found in Yellowstone National Park can be found here  credit: Scott Chimileski Photography Icelandic Fire and Ice The interaction between fire and ice in Iceland is the meeting of two extremes and exciting to us because of the vivid colours that it creates. Jill’s research has often been conducted in the fiery ice landscapes between Russia and Alaska – Kamchatka and Katmai. Drawing on Jill’s fieldwork expeditions for our narrative inspiration, grounding the project in a place where volcanoes and ice meet reflects on her memories and is also allegorical of the extreme habitats of the extremophiles and the precarious balance of the Earth’s ecosystems.  Where to next? With some visual inspiration for the location of our project, I will begin focusing more specifically on the ecosystems and wildlife. Here are some readings for the coming week: The Wildlife of Katmai National Park and Reserve, Alaska Animals adaptations:Echolocation Fire Animal habitats: Hydrothermal vents Taiga regions (Russia to Alaska) Jill Hello All, This week Rose and I focused on distilling down our ideas from the brainstorming phase. Volcano Ecology So far in our collaboration, we have both explored ideas outside of our direct areas of expertise. In volcanology, my work has primarily focused on magmatic processes, hazard monitoring, and education regarding human impacts in Alaska, Washington, and Kamchatka Russia.  Distribution of volcanoes in Alaska. Image from the Alaska Volcano Observatory. I have been delving more deeply into understanding biological communities in volcanic ecosystems. This has included research and discussions ranging from extremophiles at hydrothermal vents and volcanic hot springs to repopulation after volcanic events.  Yellow mats of extremophile archaea in a geothermal pool in Yellowstone National Park, WY. Photo by Zechal/Fotolia. Crafting Story We generated so many great ideas in our brainstorming sessions that we had a lot of distilling to do, one of my teachers calls it composting. I like that analogy because it conjures up a messier process and it generates its own heat! You have to roll your sleeves up and get dirty to compost, gather all those ideas and then give them time to breathe and decompose down to their essence. To make the process more visual and tactile, I decided to start a sticky note wall. Each note is like a single leaf holding an idea. Hoping that these will create connections across themes and help me find a good narrative story.  My abstracted compost pile a.k.a. sticky note wall in progress. Through this collaboration, one possible outcome is a short three-act structure screenplay. Some elements required for story include creating a main character with a dramatic need, an opponent who presents a confrontation, ultimately leading to crisis and then resolution.  Three-Act Structure of Storytelling. Graph from Elements of Cinema. Color and Texture A true collaboration takes time to learn and listen to each other and to process what strengths and creative ideas can be contributed to craft something new and unique. It has been great fun for me to get feedback from Rose on what piques her interest in volcanology. It is exciting to talk about dramatic color-saturated images and distinctive volcanic textures. Color is a fantastic lens in which to look at micro-organisms, mineral/chemical content, and temperature.
Until next week!
-Jill Rosemary It has been a fantastic few weeks so far! Jill and I have been brainstorming ideas around creating a narratively driven speculative world, filled with creatures, inspired by Jill’s research and fieldwork memories. Below is a breakdown of some of our thoughts, inspiration and possible directions so far. Echolocation
Part of Jill’s research is using radar to study Bezymianny Volcano in Russia. We have been discussing how echolocation could evolve further in animals. Several questions arise from the speculative evolution of echolocation:
Creature Design: Speculative Biology
We’re playing with the idea of setting the narrative around planetary exploration and therefore a speculative world and its flora and fauna will need to be visualised through concept art. I have been researching other Creature Designers that have created believable worlds. Terryl Whitlatch, Bobby Rebholz and Brynn Metheney have created great Speculative Biology projects.
"The Wildlife of Star Wars" by Terryl Whitlatch
 "The Wildlife of Star Wars" by Terryl Whitlatch
The Wildlife of Star Wars “A Field Guide” by Terryl Whitlatch A big inspiration for how the narrative may be visualised is The Wildlife of Star Wars: A Field Guide by Terryl Whitlatch and Bob Carrau. We enjoy the sketchy style and the informative annotations as if the book is a set of ‘field notes’ exploring the various planets.
The Morae River by Brynn Metheney Brynn Metheney created various flora and fauna to exist in her fictional ecosystem, The Morae River. Creature Design: Mythology
The examples of Speculative Biology above are focused more on the creation of imaginary animals that still have real-world plausibility and are adapted to their environment. Another approach to our narrative would be to personify geological phenomena into mythological creatures. For example, a volcano could be an unfathomable mythological creature, much like a god. The work of Studio Ghibli often features god-like creatures such as the forest spirit from Princess Mononoke (1997).
Forest Spirit - Princess Mononoke (1997)
Dark Fantasy/Horror
The genre of our narrative will have a dark fantasy/horror flavour because we are both fans of H. P. Lovecraft. Below I have outlined some more inspiration from the darker side of Creature Design.  Guillermo del Toro’s journal pages
Guillermo del Toro’s Journals Guillermo del Toro’s journals are great inspiration for a darker fantasy/horror interpretation of ‘field notes’.  The nightmarish sketches of Anthony Jones
 The alien hybrids of Carlos Huante
Remains: Anatomy of a Planetary Expedition
For the output of this residency we have discussed the possibility of an interactive exhibition. Looking at the inspiration below we are thinking of ways to visualise and document the discoveries of the fictional expedition in a pseudo-scientific way.
Drawing Experimentation
To bring in some experimentation and drawing as inquiry into the collaboration, I will be ‘free drawing’ to the sounds of the galaxy to get into the zone. I will share the experiments next week!
Learning Goals
Working with Jill so far has been amazing. We share many of the same aesthetic interests which has made the initial brainstorming phase very fruitful! I hope to learn from Jill’s scientific approach to projects. Also, she will be giving me a crash-course in Volcanology. This will be fascinating and inspiring for developing creatures that are adapted to living in the different environments created by Volcanoes.
Jill
Brainstorming Our Project
To get the ball rolling on our project we spent the last couple of weeks brainstorming over Skype. Rose is in the UK and I’m in Alaska so I’m usually waking up with a couple cups of coffee and she is home after a day at work. We have had great fun discussing a lot of potential ideas and seeing where our curiosities overlapped. We were paired for our interest in storytelling, the environment, and the creatures that inhabit them.
Biodiversity in Volcanic TerrainsVolcanoes are powerful destructive forces but also bring fertile ground and new life after eruptions. We discussed different volcanic systems, biological diversity, and historical events. Places such as Mount St Helens, Washington and Kasatochi Island, Alaska have well documented studies on the ecological succession and the reintroduction of species after volcanic eruptions. https://alaska.usgs.gov/science/kasatochi/ 
Mount St. Helens Volcano, WA. Photo by Jill Shipman, 2017
Volcanic hot springs and hydrothermal vents could have supported early microbial life on Earth and possibly on other planets.
Extremophiles are organisms that have adapted to extreme temperatures or geochemical environments and can be found in volcanic landscapes in the deep ocean and in thermal springs such as the Grand Prismatic Spring at Yellowstone. 
Hydrothermal Vent. Photo from NASA Astrobiology Institute. https://nai.nasa.gov/articles/2016/3/9/lifes-building-blocks-form-in-replicated-deep-sea-vents/
Jupiter’s icy moon Europa is one of the most likely candidates for life beyond Earth in the solar system. Research suggests oceans could lie beneath its frozen surface and may have the ingredients necessary to support life.
Documentation and History
We liked the idea of using field notes to chronicle a hypothetical expedition. I’ve been going back through old field books and freewriting to recall experiences. For a historical slant, we can pull from ancient eruptions, environmental mythological events, historical maps, and Lovecraft works.
The ancient city of Pompeii, Italy was destroyed in AD 79 by the eruption of near-by Mount Vesuvius. This location is well known for its preserved body casts of the victims who perished in the eruption. 
Body cast with preserved skull remains of Pompeii. Photo by Jill Shipman, 2013.
Geomythology
An intriguing area of research, geomythology, looks at the science of recovering ancient folk traditions about natural processes or events to find the geological and environmental origins to mythology.
The First Fossil Hunters by Adrienne Mayor
Mythological Creatures in Maps
Historical cartography features some fantastic creatures in areas of dangerous or uncharted territory.
Inset from the Carta Marina (Map of the Sea) 1572. From the World Digital Library. https://www.wdl.org/en/item/3037/
Geology in Lovecraft
“At the Mountains of Madness” is an epic haunting tale by H.P. Lovecraft. A geologist leads an expedition to Antarctica, they discover an ancient alien civilization, destruction and insanity ensues. Have a listen to this riveting BBC 7 Radio production, rich with geologic details and cosmic horrors. https://archive.org/details/AtTheMountainsOfMadnessBBCTGGMix
Film Inspiration
We have been thinking about what a soundtrack for this collaborative project might be. Starting with the eerie sounds of the solar system. https://solarsystem.nasa.gov/galleries/audio
Aesthetically and creatively we both have a great fondness for alternate worlds with a dark setting. Think Jim Henson’s “The Dark Crystal” or Guillermo del Toro’s “Pan’s Labyrinth”.
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The diversity of animals on Earth inspire my drawings. Evolution fascinates me, and even more so, the possibilities of evolution in the future and on other planets. I also love world mythology and often use it as a starting point in my work. My project "When Tigers Smoked" was practice-based research into the speculative evolution of tigers inspired by Korean folk art and mythology: http://www.rosemaryartist.com/tigers
Continuing to develop my practice, I aim to create creatures with real-world plausibility. Synthesizing iterative drawing techniques and a visual knowledge of animal anatomy, I hope to further explore how interacting with scientific principles can impact my practice and perhaps beyond.
Cross-disciplinary collaboration fascinates me because it is all about the process and the documentation of that process. The fact that the final destination of the collaboration is unknown or not even necessary is both challenging and exciting. The most exciting aspect of cross-disciplinary collaboration is the potential of the iterative, communicative, back and forth process creating a novel subject that could sustain further research outputs beyond the artistic and scientific disciplines themselves. |
Jill
Hello! My name is Jill Shipman, I am a Ph.D. student in Volcanology and am also pursuing film studies (with an emphasis in directing) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). I have always been involved in some sort of creative endeavor; acting, dancing, directing, photography, drawing, and making costumes and jewelry. For quite some time I felt that by compartmentalizing my artistic and scientific interests I was Dr. Jekyll and “Mrs.” Hyde. Several years ago, I decided to merge my interests wherever possible and haven’t looked back since. This decision has led to several collaborative art-science projects and my involvement to grow the art-science community at the American Geophysical Union. I am thrilled to be a part of this residency program and look forward to working with my collaborator Rosemary Chalmers.
Hello! My name is Jill Shipman, I am a Ph.D. student in Volcanology and am also pursuing film studies (with an emphasis in directing) at the University of Alaska Fairbanks (UAF). I have always been involved in some sort of creative endeavor; acting, dancing, directing, photography, drawing, and making costumes and jewelry. For quite some time I felt that by compartmentalizing my artistic and scientific interests I was Dr. Jekyll and “Mrs.” Hyde. Several years ago, I decided to merge my interests wherever possible and haven’t looked back since. This decision has led to several collaborative art-science projects and my involvement to grow the art-science community at the American Geophysical Union. I am thrilled to be a part of this residency program and look forward to working with my collaborator Rosemary Chalmers.
Poster from IMDB
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I am based in Fairbanks, AK and am fortunate to be at an institution that is a leader in climate and environmental research. I live close to nature with diverse wildlife, majestic landscapes, and hearty and kind people. Fairbanks is such a creative and welcoming place as many still live off the land and depend on each other to get through the simultaneously gorgeous and incredibly depressing winters.
Research My dissertation is a comparative study of Mount St. Helens, Bezymianny, and Shiveluch volcanoes. In 1980, Mount St. Helens experienced a devastating lateral-blast and massive eruption of hot rock, ash, and gases that obliterated everything in its path and has had long lasting impacts on the environment and the many species that inhabit the area. |
Much like Mount St Helens, Bezymianny and Shiveluch Volcanoes in Kamchatka, Russia erupted in a very similar manner. To better understand the likelihood of devastating eruptions like these occurring in the future we must understand their respective systems. My past work includes using analytical chemistry to analyze mineral compositions of volcanic products and conditions of magma storage.
Bezymianny and Shiveluch Volcanoes on the Kamchatka Peninsula, Russia.
Sentinel-1 RADAR over Northern Kamchatka Volcanoes
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I am currently using Synthetic Aperture Radar to quantify ground motion at Bezymianny Volcano. Prior to eruption a volcano generally inflates like a balloon and deflates after the magma has erupted on the surface. We can use multiple radar images to calculate the ground deformation related to a volcanic event. For more information: http://www.uaf.edu/insar
Film Production
In addition to my geophysical research, I am the Production Manager for FRAME Film Production Services, the production arm of the Theatre and Film Department at UAF. There I write scripts, organize film shoots, serve as film crew, and do post-production editing for a variety of projects ranging from cultural to research oriented. |
Behind the scenes on a recent FRAME shoot with researcher Ricardo Antunes discussing acoustic pollution in the ocean and impacts on Bering Straits. Photo courtesy of FRAME.
"Life in the Infrared" is a short film project I directed about the use of thermal infrared imaging. Where volcanologist Dr. Jonathan Dehn from the UAF Geophysical Institute explains case studies from applications in volcanology and arctic biology.
My inspiration.
I am inspired by the thrill of discovery, beautifully crafted images, and the sights and sounds of an unforgettable moment. A great story that digs its claws into me and won’t let go, by sounds that transport me to another world, an emotional response that gives me chills and a flood of nostalgia, a sense of wonder and excitement.
Why collaborate across disciplines?
I think that true innovation comes through unlikely relationships and interdisciplinary work. I see collaboration as a chance to explore new perspectives on learning and communicating both art and science. I believe that the creative process is important not only in communicating science but to scientific discovery itself. I can’t wait to see where this collaborative journey takes us!
I am inspired by the thrill of discovery, beautifully crafted images, and the sights and sounds of an unforgettable moment. A great story that digs its claws into me and won’t let go, by sounds that transport me to another world, an emotional response that gives me chills and a flood of nostalgia, a sense of wonder and excitement.
Why collaborate across disciplines?
I think that true innovation comes through unlikely relationships and interdisciplinary work. I see collaboration as a chance to explore new perspectives on learning and communicating both art and science. I believe that the creative process is important not only in communicating science but to scientific discovery itself. I can’t wait to see where this collaborative journey takes us!
