Mendenhall

Artist Statement

In 2014, in Juneau, Alaska, we witnessed a stark example of the effects of global warming. Local folks described how, when they were kids, the leading edge of the Mendenhall Glacier had reached to where we were standing. Today, it is more than a mile away.

"Mendenhall" is our first collaboration. Peter painted the fiberglass blade to resemble an iceberg and Esther knitted a giant sweater for it using a traditional Nordic pattern. The woolen sweater provides a metaphorical thermal insulation for the melting iceberg and hints at the new extremes of weather the Earth is experiencing as a direct result of climate change.

The sculpture's wheeled base is made of wood in the shape of Mendenhall Lake, a visual representation of the place that inspired the sculpture's narrative.