Caroline Roberts | Present | HCC Beat

“The present of my life looks different under trees,” is a quote from a passage in Annie Dillard’s Pilgrim at Tinker Creek in which she muses on the differences between “soft-shelled humans” and the trees with their bark shields and immense lifespans. Trees 'remember' the weather through their growth rings and, in fossilized remains, the pattern of these rings is used to study past climates. What will current, living trees tell the future?

This installation consists of sixty 11’ high panels, each one representing a year of weather data from Hobby airport. The lightweight, fabric panels hang from the ceiling creating an immersive environment. Each panel varies in width based on the rainfall intensity, and the color, from ice-blue to blue-black, represents the average nighttime temperature for that year. More shocking than any graph, this forest-like environment shows the story of rising temperatures and intensifying rain events.