“The parabolic form is reminiscent of a lens focusing its energy to a focal point, the height of the pole. The installation references a satellite dish imagining the transfer of pollinator DNA to preserve it in faraway places. Thus, it brings pollinators into ‘focus’.

This work elaborates on understanding the visible and near visible electromagnetic spectrum of light and its function with pollinators. Many pollinators locate their nectar/ pollen by ultraviolet light (UV) markings in flowers seen by these species yet hidden from human vision.

Pollinators see part of the spectrum that we don’t, and additionally there are significant understandings regarding safety for human vision looking at specific frequencies of UV. The UV lights in this installation use the frequencies of 395 – 406nm, safe for the human eye to look at, but with the added safety of having a hood over them, allowing the viewer to only look at indirect UV light.”

“The most powerful interaction may be the experience of the UV light drawing out the viewer’s curiosity to study the insects/ pollinators. A bat detector has been installed near the installation in collaboration with bat biologist, Mike Balistreri and programmer, David Ham. Mike has been monitoring the bat population at the park and has detected approximately 20 species that live on or visit the land.

The UV lights are connected to an Arduino programmed by David that receives the electronic signals from the bat detector. The result is that the UV lights, lit on certain evenings, will undulate when bats are detected in the area around the installation. This feature will be on display for special summer evening events. For daytime tours the detector is also connected to audification sensors to hear the sounds of bats detected by the installation.

The hope is that it will stimulate a great sense of wonder, tuning the viewer into how frequent bat’s visit, and help to dispel myths about bats. In addition, David has programmed the ability to translate the ultrasound of bats to audible frequencies so that the bat sounds can also be shared with the public and increase an understanding and curiosity of bats.”

“Working from a rendering of mathematical coordinates, the parabolic information was transferred into Sketch Up to create drawings from which working construction schematics were produced by Mark Goldman’s class UNM- Taos, Construction Technologies. Then with Enscape, renderings were created to produce mold boxes to cast the parabolic in 4 parts.

The entire dimension with 4 parts created a 10 ft. diameter parabolic with a 12” outside height. It was cast out of an advanced concrete product called GFRC (glass reinforced concrete) at a thickness of 1.5”. The final 4 quarters were placed on a gravel/ paver footer 8” deep. Around the outside of the entire parabolic is an undulating landscaping of crusher fines and gravel, berming the earth around the parabolic, and with a lower level moat surrounding it. The center of the parabolic has a drain with 4” PVC pipe steering any collected water or melted snow off into a pumice wick under the pollinator garden nearby.”

“The pole inside the dish appears above a lush field of 4 ft. tall ryegrass as if an antenna is drawing one near. The antenna functions like a sundial, elaborating on the relationship amongst the shadow of the antenna, the hour of day, and the alignment with specific tiles as a measurement of time.

There is attention to the observation of the sun’s path during times of day and seasons, and thus understanding that each species of pollinator is active during differing times of day/ night related to the position of the sun. Visit Henrietta Gomez’s video interview to hear her talk about the sundial and traditional ways of experiencing the sun in daily life.”

“The tiles are 8” hexagons with entire surface composed of 280 tiles. There is a repeat of 9 differing pollinator species, mostly from New Mexico, with one representative from bats, hummingbirds, butterfly, moth, bee, and wasp families. Only one of the species is confirmed endangered, but they are all representatives ‘for those at risk’. Made from a cement material they are dyed a range of blues with the outer circumference tiles are lighter so that the UV lights show well.

The tile images were chosen for ease of laser etching a model in acrylic, and from which a silicon mold was made, to generate multiple copies. The rhythmic pattern of hexagons was inspired by the geometry of butterfly eyes, and is reminiscent of beehive architecture. Overall the teachings embedded in this work intend to bring a greater awareness to our animal family, that we necessarily share ecosystems with and need for our survival.”

“Created in collaboration with Taos Land Trust partners. An arch garden of pollinator plants appears like a portion of a larger concentric circle. This garden creates a boundary protecting the parabolic and landscaping around it. Native plant species attracting pollinators were matched up with species elaborated on in the tiles.

The garden echoes the circle of the parabolic and undulating landscape, creating radiating rings outside of it that suggest the representation of a wave front (of light) radiating outward. The moat will collect rain-water supplying critical drinking water to butterflies, wasps and bees especially. Under the pollinator garden the pumice wick retains the water feeding out from the parabolic, and conserving water in drought times. The larger surrounding area landscaped with ryegrass will be planted instead with wild flowers in some years.”