The Gila River Project

THE GILA RIVER PROJECT

The Gila River Project involved expeditions that took place in 9 regions along the 600+ miles of the river from its origin in the Gila Wilderness in NM to its junction with the Colorado River in Yuma, AZ. Exploratory investigations were guided by background research into the politics, history, culture, and resource management of the area. The expeditions focused on revealing the complex and adaptive eco-plasticity that determined the river’s path in a changing landscape.

A custom designed medallion was installed at significant site-specific locations that represented the focus in each region. Collectively the Medallions map the Gila River Project.

Eco-plasticity

Seen as a complex and therefore dynamic system, the Gila River Project aspires to illuminate the role of eco-plasticity in relation to environmental and human co-adaptation. The term eco-plasticity was developed through the art and science collaboration represented by Joel Slayton and Lisa Johanson. The ongoing ambition is to develop a series of land-use and sense-of-place artworks that illuminate the role of eco-plasticity as it relates to an ecology responding to competing forces. By exploring the layered relationships between the natural and artificial challenges, we hope to better understand the destiny of a particular ecology.