Vertical Landscape

The mixed made drawing Vertical Landscape, was made during the residency from Estudio Nuboso, at Barro Colorado Island for the occasion of the exhibition Barro Colorado Island: 100 years of Discoveries and Wonder at Museo del Canal Interoceánico, Panama 2023

During my last summer of high school, I had worked for the Smithsonian as a photographer and went frequently to Barro Colorado. Returning almost 50 years later has been a very important experience for me. I have fallen in love again with this special place, the jungle, the animals, the sounds, the scientists and all the history the island carries. 

The director of the Museum, Ana Elizabeth Gonzalez, offered me the entrance lobby of the Museum, an internal patio with a three story height. I decided to make a very long drawing (30 ft x 4 ft) of the jungle that would convey the feeling one has when arriving at the island. Once the boat docks you have to climb to reach the main headquarters. To go into the jungle, you must keep on climbing. Everything seems vertical. You spend most of the time looking up. The green lushness of the jungle is confusing. Although there are marked paths throughout the island you could very easily get lost.

Barro Colorado Island in the 1970’s