"Spalted Wood," a series of eight short videos, documents the historic meeting of artist Mark Lindquist and artist/scientist Dr. Sara Robinson in June of 2017.

In "Spalted Wood: Part I," Dr. Sara (Seri) Robinson's visit to Lindquist Studios begins. She talks about how spalted wood led her on a journey of discovery, from her use of the material as an artist, through her historical and scientific research in her graduate studies and now as a college professor. She explains why she has redefined the term "spalted wood."

Spalted wood -- the material and the term itself -- was introduced into the American craft movement in the 1970s by woodturning pioneers Melvin and Mark Lindquist. Into a culture that expected wooden vessels to be straight-grained, sound, "good" wood, they introduced non-utilitarian vases and bowls made from wood in advanced stages of decomposition, displaying dramatic calligraphic black lines. Through Mel and Mark's attendance at craft fairs, demonstrations, participation in gallery exhibitions, and publication of articles about how to harvest and use spalted wood, the acceptance of the material by the public and by other turners gradually spread until it became a mainstay of the emerging American studio woodturning movement.
 
From the beginning of her studies in woodworking and art in the 1990s, Sara (Seri) Robinson was fascinated by spalted wood, and particularly by the color changes sometimes caused when fungi claim territory in decaying wood. She worked almost exclusively with spalted wood throughout her pursuit of an art degree from Northern Michigan University. Recognizing that there was no clear connection between the art world's conception of spalted wood and scientific research into wood pathology, she pursued postgraduate studies in wood science at Michigan Technological University, receiving her masters and PhD, bringing the art and science of this material together. Through her research, Seri has made astonishing discoveries about the properties of spalted wood pigments, redefined "spalting" based on an understanding of the biological phenomena that produce it, traced the history of the use of this material back to the Middle Ages, and opened up avenues for research into the potential practical uses of spalting pigments, such as in textiles, solar cells, and medicines.

Spalted Wood Part I MUSIC
All Music is from YouTube Audio Library

Brother Jack  1:47  JR Tundra  Jazz & Blues | Funky

Big Screen  01:52  Silent Partner  Cinematic | Inspirational

Bar Crawl  3:03  JR Tundra  Jazz & Blues | Funky

SPALTED WOOD is a collaboration between Mark Lindquist of Lindquist Studios and Dr. Sara Robinson, assistant professor at Oregon State University. SPALTED WOOD was filmed mainly at Lindquist Studios in Florida as well as at Oregon State University.

Copyright © 2017 Lindquist Studios

http://lindquiststudios.com | http://northernspalting.com