Helen & Newton Harrison Sierra Nevada:
An Adaptation

In Sierra Nevada: An Adaptation, internationally-renowned environmental artists Helen and Newton Harrison propose a series of long-term ecological responses to recorded temperature increases in the Sierra Nevada. Their proposals are in response to potential changes that threaten the elimination of beneficial plant species and the invasion of harmful ones. The Harrison’s ideas are presented conceptually in a 30-foot-long map of the mountain range, topographical sketches of its seventeen principal watersheds, and aerial photographs of sites in the Truckee and Yuba watersheds. Additionally, digital animations predict three various global warming scenarios revealing what will happen if nothing is done or if modest interventions are made, and conversely if landscapes are generated to serve cultural and natural needs. This exhibition represents early iterations of what will eventually be a fifty-year project.