Narrative Terrains

Earth. Color. Alchemy. Art. activism

Iron Oxide Bacteria

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In my little village there is a stream that runs into the lake that the village is named for.  One day when I first moved here, I noticed a trail of shimmery, orange sludge leaching into the stream. Initially, I thought (with great concern) that this was coming from some contaminated source, buried in the hillside surrounding the stream, but upon further research and inquiry when I began my pigment project – I came to learn that the source is actually Iron Oxide Bacteria, and thankfully, a naturally occurring substance.  Iron Oxide Bacteria are chemotrophic bacteria that derive the energy they need to live and multiply by oxidizing dissolved ferrous iron. [1]

These harmless bacteria “bloom” when oxygen, water and iron combine. The bacteria are typically rust-colored and appear oily. They form masses composed mainly of the iron oxide-accumulating bacterium Leptothrix. Iron bacteria undergoes an oxidation process (change their compound structure) to fulfill it’s energy requirements. This involves changing ferrous iron (Fe2+) into ferric iron (Fe3+). This process makes the iron insoluble and produces the rust-colored slimy deposit in stream beds. [2]

Iron Oxide Bacteria have been used by hunter gathers in North America’s Pacific Northwest, among other cultures, for use in pigments for rock art, personal adornment and mortuary practices. A research paper by Brandi Lee MacDonald at the University of Missouri, touches on the technological innovation and human evolutionary development of these peoples and their use of heating the iron oxide bacteria to enhance their color and increase their colorfastness for the use of this material as a pigment for rock art. [3]

Even animals have used iron oxide, and iron oxide bacteria as a means of adornment – though the true purpose of why is still unknown. The Bearded Vulture is known to cover decorate itself by covering it’s white chest feathers in iron oxide dust and bathing in pools rich with iron oxide. Research has suggested that this behavior is either an attempt at asserting dominance or as a means of replacing carotenoids, which their bodies do not produce on their own. [4][5]

Iron Oxide Bacteria is a magical and strange substance, and I am thankful to have a seemingly endless source of it in my backyard. I am currently drying some out to crush into pigment to utilize in my artwork and catalog in the archive, and look forward to continued research on cultural uses of this particular source of color throughout the ages. If you have any knowledge to share with regards to Iron Oxide Bacteria use in art/culture, or other environmental information you’d like to share, please do so in the comments. I hope through this crisis we are all dealing with together, that you and yours are and remain healthy and well, and that you are able to use this time in isolation to tap into your creative spirit and find ways to reconnect with our marvelous planet.

 

1. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Iron-oxidizing_bacteria

2. https://adoptastream.georgia.gov/what-iron-bacteria

3. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337341971_Hunter-Gatherers_Harvested_and_Heated_Microbial_Biogenic_Iron_Oxides_to_Produce_Rock_Art_Pigment

4.https://www.researchgate.net/publication/337341971_Hunter-Gatherers_Harvested_and_Heated_Microbial_Biogenic_Iron_Oxides_to_Produce_Rock_Art_Pigment

5. https://europepmc.org/article/pmc/pmc4730124

Blue Clay of the Saguenay | A Field Trip to Tadoussac, Quebec

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Earlier this month, my partner Leo and I took a quick weekend getaway to Quebec.  We spent a day and a half exploring the city, which was unique and beautiful – but we were both longing to explore the natural beauty of the Saguenay Fjord. Our last day in Canada, we woke up early, grabbed a coffee and hit the road – heading Northeast to Tadoussac – as I had come to find it is a place where Beluga whales spend time all year – they are my most favorite marine mammals and I have adored them since I was a kid – and though I knew the chances were slight to see them this time of year – the landscape of the region was reason enough to visit.

We crossed to Tadoussac on the ferry that traverses across the Saguenay River, and came into a quiet summer resort town – we were told by locals that during the winter the town is inhabited by around 700 people, and increases to 10,000 in the summer months. Undeterred, we hiked through the deep snow to a park along the coastline of the St. Lawrence Bay.

Tadoussac was home to the Innu, and they called Totouskak , meaning “bosom” in reference to the landscape. Other interpretations have also been “place of lobsters”, or “place where the ice is broken” (from the Innu shashuko). Although located in Innu territory, the post was also frequented by the Mi’kmaq people in the second half of the 16th century, who called it Gtatosag (“among the rocks”)[1] Tadoussac was an important trading centre for Indigenous peoples of the north and south shores of the St. Lawrence River.

As we wandered down the coastline, we began to come across outcrops of Laurentian Gneiss – beautiful rocks striated with rainbow colors in beautiful wavy patterns. Large chunks of ice had washed up on shore, high tide leaving them above the wet sand and crashing waves. Beyond the ice that temporarily made up the landscape, we also took notice of the coastal erosion that was present along the hillsides and cliffs exposed to the ocean. At one point we reached a tall cliff, roots dangling towards the sandy beach below, trees precariously positioned on the edge of the hillside above – and beautiful blue and green clay exposed at the base of this section of land.

 

On our hike back to the car, we were far more aware of the coastal erosion happening here and upon our return home, deep dove into research about the environment of the area, it’s native peoples and climate mitigation and adaptation strategies. Please visit the links below to learn more about what Quebec and the people of Tadoussac are doing to combat the effects of climate change. We look forward to visiting here again in the warmer months to observe the differences of the landscape, and hopefully see some Belugas 🙂

Tadoussac Historical References

[1]Tadoussac, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tadoussac&oldid=943005877

Canadian Museum of History

Conseil de la Première Nation Innus Essipit

Fighting Climate Change In Tadoussac

Saguenay – St. Lawrence Marine Park Management Plan

Adaptation Processes of Peripheral Coastal Tourism Communities in Québec, Canada

Fighting Together Against Erosion

Storms and Shoreline Retreat in the Southern Gulf of St. Lawrence 

Coastal Erosion Working Group

Why Color ?

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Color is a universal language. It has told the story of our planet long before we ever held a presence here – our planets history is painted in layers of the earth, embedded in its strata and strewn across it’s sun warmed surface. Humans have utilized color since the beginning of our time, as a means of storytelling, honoring the gifts the earth has provided them, and creative self expression. The source of much of the natural color on our planet runs through it’s strata and through our veins. It is part of us, we are part of it.

Beyond our cultural use of color as a means of self expression and storytelling – we can also utilize color to better understand and connect with our land. We can read the health of soil and our crops by it’s color, the changing of our seasons –  and now, in the Age of the Anthropocene, the effects of human intervention and toxic pollutants on our precious planet.

Our rocks and soils tell geological and anthropological stories.

Color is the catalyst for this project to connect with people, and in turn, re-connect people to their land. We aspire to to inspire curiosity, mindfulness, exploration & experimentation, and storytelling as a means of offering a new perspective on connecting with our land and soils, sharing knowledges – especially those that have been silenced or wiped clean with industrial colonization and how our histories have been written- and with this, inspire a newfound appreciation for where we live, our community and cultural connections and to foster advocacy for preserving the wonders that we are losing, if we as a society continue down the path we have created.

This project is also an effort to bridge art and science – to strengthen the connection between two communities who’s process of inquiry are parallel to each other.  We hope that these connections through collaborations, research projects, workshops and outreach can utilize the collected and archived, hands-on and personal accounts of citizen pigment foragers and scientists that participate in this project to bring awareness to environmental and social issues surrounding the land and sources of collected color.

We hope that those interested in this project make use of the information that we provide to not only learn more about the processes of collecting and using earth sourced pigments – both geological and organic, but also to connect to community  – to share and learn more about cultural uses of color, shared experiences and new knowledges of environmental stewardship and restoration, advocacy ideas for environmental and social justice and to simply connect with people and land.

We look forward to being part of and witness the evolution of this project and look forward to connecting with you.  Please don’t hesitate to connect us with any suggestions, opportunities for collaboration, or to simply say hello. Thank you for your time, your interest and openness to fostering new perspectives and means of connecting with each other and this beautiful, precious, and vibrant land we call home.

Welcome To Narrative Terrains!

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Welcome to Narrative Terrains ! This project has been a long time in the making – bits and pieces of it have surfaced over the years of being a professional artist, wanderer and lover of all things nature.  Ever since I was a kid I’ve loved playing in the dirt, experimenting and making art – so the foundation of this project seemed to take form organically.  I hope that you find these pages interesting and useful as a means of incorporating a new and intimate level to your creative process and connecting with the land, peoples and cultures around you – most importantly.  This project encourages sharing of knowledge and collaboration – so please be sure to keep and eye on our Collaboration opportunities, events and workshops, pigment archive and research collaborations and projects.  Also be sure to visit our Critical Forum to contribute to the conversation and share knowledges.  Many thanks for your interest and participation and I look forward to sharing what I come to know along this journey. Much love …