THE FOREVER TREES
Aeon is a three part collector series of photographic works featuring earths oldest living organism, the Great Basin Bristlecone pine tree.
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THE OLDEST LIVING BEINGS ON EARTH
Bristlecone pine trees ( Pinus Longavea ) are the oldest non-clonal living organisms on earth. These extraordinary trees live as no other, nestled in seclusion at elevations as high as 12,000 feet. They are found in remote jagged mountain peaks, surrounded by inhospitable environments surviving and adapting under extreme conditions. The oldest groves on the edges of the Great Basin region of the United States, rise along sharp dolomite rock formations.
The magnificent Bristlecone pine became a permanent historical fixture when it was designated Nevada's official state tree in 1987.
It was recently honored as the official emblem representing the state nationwide through the USA Mint, "America the Beautiful" program.
They live thousands of years, and are now a protected species, growing at a rate of one inch per century. Brutal elements strip their bodies sculpting them in to one of a kind shapes over thousands of years. Their majestic trunks and branches are so densely layered they feel petrified to the touch.
With roots exposed and devoid of nutrients they anchor to the sloping moving rock, year after year producing new cones and seeds ready to germinate. A single needle facial lives an astonishing 35 years before falling.
The chronology found in their rings has served to calibrate the scientific method for dating known as radiocarbon dating. They are sentinels of humanity having lived through all of mankind's recorded history.
A STATE TREASURE
The Great Basin region in Nevada is host territory to these magnificent organisms. Established in 1864, Nevada is always at the forefront of the extraordinary having both man made and natural wonders within its boundaries.
SECTIONED TO RUINS
The Methuselah Tree, discovered in 1957 was found to be the oldest non-clonal living organism on earth ( 4,789 years of age). Shortly thereafter in 1964 Prometheus, an extraordinary old growth specimen, was discovered to have been slightly older at 4882 years. Tragically the discovery came only after it was felled, prompting federal protection of these extraordinary beings. The sectioned remains of Prometheus still lie over fifty years later in the magnificent old grove where it once stood inside the Great Basin national park.
Sectioned remains of the Prometheus tree
THE FALL OF PROMETHEUS
The old growth grove where Prometheus had taken root before mans discovery of writing, drew the attention of a graduate student in 1964. While conducting research in a remote corner of Nevada's Wheeler Peak glacier, he came upon Prometheus a majestic gnarled monument. Traditional methods to core a sample from Prometheus failed, and a decision was made to cut and section it. It's extraordinary age of 4,862 years was then tragically revealed along with it's eulogy, the oldest known living being on earth was no longer.
A UNIQUE VISUAL EXPRESSION
The subjects selected for this series are an exceptional representative sample of these trees. To see a Bristlecone Pine Tree unencumbered, lit in it’s purest form is to unveil the essence of it's existence through millenia.
Each image is a unique visual expression. Hundreds of blended continuous spectrum light segments are applied at various angles, through witch details emerge in spectacular clarity. The result is a one of a kind image, crafted free of light variations and complemented by the beauty and colors found it’s natural environment.
Aeon a three part collector series of photographic works, is an expression of the essence of these magnificent living treasures in their best known habitats.
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