As part of a two-year artist residency at Lawndale, Veselka used 3D scanning technology to study objects gathered from Buffalo Bayou—the only remaining semi-natural, flowing waterway in the city of Houston. Its sediment holds both organic and inorganic remains, traces of natural processes and human activity spanning thousands of years.
Collecting along the bayou’s banks became an attempt to peer into this vast container of geologic time, searching for markers of anthropogenic change. Through this process, a profound sense of loss emerged. Here, among the night herons, pileated woodpeckers, longleaf pines, and magnolias, are the remnants of a once vast and intricate wilderness. These living presences feel like echoes of the past—ghosts reminding us of what has been lost.
Collecting along the bayou’s banks became an attempt to peer into this vast container of geologic time, searching for markers of anthropogenic change. Through this process, a profound sense of loss emerged. Here, among the night herons, pileated woodpeckers, longleaf pines, and magnolias, are the remnants of a once vast and intricate wilderness. These living presences feel like echoes of the past—ghosts reminding us of what has been lost.
Video by Ryan Hawk courtesy of Lawndale