Bill Pusztai "forest fires"

place 1041 Forest Fires

digital chromogenic print, approx 10.5" x 13.5” $95

For the last few years, Vancouver has been in the path of smoke drifting in from fires inland, to the north, and from Washington state. Among the first obvious consequences of climate change: for the last ten years or so, invasive non-native insects and pests that would not have survived the colder winters we used to have, have killed huge swaths of forest. The most immediate social effect is that the lumber industry is hurting; the pests damage the wood in ways that make it worth less, and government tariffs have not been reduced to allow for economically feasible harvest.

Mills and secondary processing plants have closed, and the transport network has stalled. Mill towns are being shut down. Decreased rainfall, hotter summers, and the volume of standing deadwood have year after year encouraged massive forest fires. Sometimes for a week at a time the sun is a red dot in the yellowy grey sky, if it's visible at all. A fine layer of grit and ash collects on surfaces, and health authorities warn to stay indoors. For all the good that does. 


Learn more about the artist and this show here.