A serendipitous series of events inspired artist and entrepreneur Jennifer Spencer to create a traveling exhibit that shows ways that humanity has impacted the natural environment and the urgency of taking decisive steps towards a more conscious world. The idea came to her in stages.
First, Spencer, age 65, was invited to a meet-and-greet at the University of Colorado’s Institute of Arctic and Alpine Research; the idea was for scientists to collaborate with artists to develop innovative ways to communicate science-based ideas.
Spencer spent several months thinking about that gathering – and specifically climate change communication – when she found herself on a flight from Ohio to Colorado. She had just finished reading a book about how bark beetles destroyed New England forests. Looking out of the plane window, Spencer noticed the similarities between the beetle’s patterns and the miniature earth below.
“I was amazed to find human patterns that are strikingly similar to bark beetle patterns,” Spencer explained. “Like beetles, humans have voracious appetites – but instead of trees, we are hungry for new things, for comfort, for immediacy, style, status, ease.
“Bark beetles are really cool creatures and they are essential in a healthy forest. But when a forest is under stress from drought and warmer temperatures, the population of beetles increases. As they eat and tunnel under the bark they can kill the tree, and then the forest. The dead trees become a fuel source for forest fires. The beetle destroys not only its home, but itself.
“Looking out of the plane window, I wondered if humans weren’t doing the same,” she said.
When Spencer arrived home, she began searching for similar images of beetle’s marks and human’s impact on the earth.
Over eight months, she created a traveling museum exhibit with 15 paired images that tell the story of beetles and connect it to human responsibility. Titled Voracious Appetites: Eating the Host™, the installation highlights how human consumption impacts the earth.
Instead of focusing on the abstract concept of climate change, the exhibit offers an eye-opening look at how our everyday appetites—for hot showers, cooked food, iced drinks, comfortable homes, and convenient travel—affect the earth. That’s the message of this exhibit.
The project has a scientific advisory committee that includes an entomologist, a natural resources management expert, and a professor of atmospheric science. Together, they are working to place their exhibit in contemporary art centers and science museums. They are also seeking funding for large scale prints and to create interactive exhibits to accompany the images.
For Spencer, the project is an important way to give back and address climate change with meaningful action.
You can learn more about the project at Spencer’s web site, https://www.jenniferspencer.info/voracious-appetitestrade.html.