Featured in “The Longest Day,” Haines Falls, NY. June 20-21, 2025.
Our project statement:
For “The Longest Day” Ripley Butterfield and Michael Asbill (Processing Collapse) will clear the upturned root mass of an Eastern hemlock of soil and rock. This action initiates a new research trajectory about the historic and current impacts on this species in the Catskills.
The meditative and public work of exposing the roots will be an opportunity for discourse about cycles of collapse and the role of humans in our changing forests. In the nineteenth century, hemlock bark became a prime resource for the tanning industry. Overharvest nearly obliterated the species, forever altering the ecosystem. The tree selected for this project represents both the hemlock’s resilience and vulnerability to continued threats. It was likely infested with Hemlock woolly adelgid, an insect that arrived on this continent through global trade. The adelgid is actively destroying the reestablished hemlock forest in this region.
