Grewingk Glacier
DATA SOURCE:
Kachemak Bay Research Reserve / Alaska Department of Fish and Game
Glacier Maps provided by Steve Baird, Research Analyst, GIS
GREWINGK GLACIER is an ephemeral data sculpture whose form is derived from maps of the terminus of Grewingk Glacier as it has receded over 150 years time. Located in Kachemak Bay on the Kenai Peninsula in Alaska, Grewingk is part of the larger Harding Icefield , an expansive area that spawns 40 glaciers over 300 square miles. Aerial maps from photographic and satellite imagery show the perimeter of the glacier in 1952, 1985, 1996. 2003, and 2008.Grewingk glacier has been receding an average of 92 feet per year.
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Using both digital and hands-on design and fabrication methods, the form was translated into a sculpted plywood model, from which a silicone mold was made. The final piece is cast into ice using water from snowmelt, and the accompanying video is a time lapse of the sculpture melting in the sun over the course of one day.
The terminus maps were provided by Steve Baird at the Kachemak Bay Research Reserve. The initial research and design was completed during an Artist Residency at the Bunnell Street Art Center in Homer, AK. Fabrication of the forms and filming the melt took place at Anderson Ranch Art Center in Snowmass, CO during an Artist Residency in the Spring of 2015.
