As tent campers and National Parks enthusiasts, my collaborator Meredith Lynn and I spend a lot of time in the company of Air Streams, Winnebagos, and Jaycos, and came to appreciate that for many, the RV makes a kind of relationship to nature possible. It also recreates the comfort and access of home, in the middle of the woods. We saw our fellow campers set up potted plants, satellite dishes, and full multi-course meals. One image was particularly absurd – enjoying a popsicle in the middle of nowhere in the desert.

In Popsicle Energy we return to the image of a popsicle in the desert. How much energy was expended keeping that thing frozen from the factory to the edge of wilderness? How quickly does all that energy evaporate, as it melts in the sun? With this outdoor installation we seek to remind passersby that there are quantifiable implications for all of our choices, no matter how small.

Installed at Houseguest Gallery in Fall 2020.