Digital Study #8 (Oolite)
In conjunction with my exhibition Ghost Pearls at Granary Arts, UT, I’ve been releasing a series of fully digital studies that further expand ideas touched on within the show. The third and final work is Oolite.
Digital Study #8 (Oolite), 2023
This study encodes information found in a historic 1856 ledger, expressing and reimagining that data as a transparent glass sculpture.
The ledger was kept by the women-owned and operated Ephraim Relief Society. It recorded the amount of eggs donated by members to support the Society’s charitable activities in the community.
At the time, within the local community eggs were considered a cash equivalent, and could be freely exchanged for goods and services.
Oolite is a sedimentary rock composed of spherical grains; its name derives from the Ancient Greek word for egg.
Millions of years ago, oolite formed as microscopic debris were tossed by wind and waves across shallow areas of the Great Salt Lake, gradually accumulating layers of calcium carbonate, much like pearls.
Oolitic limestone is endemic in the region, and has been used as a building material for many historic structures, including Granary Arts, where this work has been hosted, supported, and shown.
This series has explored ways in which economic structures, purpose, and community can be linked; and forms by which voice can be transmitted across time.