Source: http://www.wired.com/

By Brian Romans
I’ve always been fascinated by the “artwork” our planet’s geologic processes create — from the complex and beautiful patterns of rivers to the stunning geometries and colors of minerals under a microscope. Humanity’s art has been inspired by nature for as long as we’ve been creating art. There are numerous artists who create installations within nature and using natural materials. In this Q&A I’d like to highlight the work of geologist-artist Dave Janesko, which is not just inspired by geologic processes, but is created through active collaboration with geologic process. I hope you enjoy it.

Brian Romans: Your work with acid mine drainage involves placing a canvas in the stream and letting the dissolved minerals precipitate onto the canvas. As the artist, you are making some choices but also letting the processes in the stream create the final product. I suppose one might consider it a collaboration. Are you anticipating anything about the outcome — the colors, the patterns, the overall feel — when you make choices during the process?

Dave Janesko: I have been around acid mine drainage all my life. I grew up in the western Pennsylvania coal region, and after college worked as an environmental consultant surveying and sampling drainage sites across Pennsylvania and West Virginia. These were always such weird places, not only visually and olfactorily, but they are such unique examples of human alteration. We dug coal out of the ground and an accelerated chemistry occurred in the spaces left behind. The totally unintended result: streams and creeks dyed iron-oxide orange, or aluminum-oxide silver. An awesome and totally unintended pollution side effect.

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