SALT LAKE CITY – Ogden artist Kellie Bornhoft’s has a goal with her latest work, ‘By a Thread.’ She wants to break the notion that the Great Salt Lake is a barren wasteland.
“I often hear people in Utah say they have never visited the lake because there is nothing out there,” said Bornhoft. “One thing I want this project to do is prove that notion wrong. There is so much life and we are interdependent on it.”
Her new exhibit features 64 plant and animal species that rely on Great Salt Lake, ranging from well-known ones, such as brine flies, to the lesser known, like the currently unnamed species known as ‘frilly boi,’ which was discovered last year.
‘Frilly boi’ was found living in calcified rock matter by Dr. Bonnie Baxter, the director of Westminster’s Great Salt Lake Institute.
Bornhoft said that she collaborated with scientists — including Baxter and Paul Thompson and John Luft from the Utah Division of Wildlife Resources — to make a list of species. Then she began illustrating them.
For some of the species, reference photos were easy to come by. However, others were more difficult.
“[One] species had a low-detail pen drawing and no other images,” said Bornhoft. “I had to look at similar species … and work with scientists … to figure out how to visualize them.”
When the images were done, Bornhoft had them printed onto sheer, unhemmed fabric. They are installed as banners that viewers can interact with.
The rough, unfinished edges of the fabric create a sense of how delicate the lake’s ecosystem is, according to a press release about the installation. Without care and action, the lake could unravel and collapse, causing great consequences for ecology and the economies of nearby cities, the state of Utah, and the entire region.
In addition to printing the illustrations onto fabric, Bornhoft said she submitted them to the creative commons so that scientists and educators can use them.
‘By a Thread’ will be on display in the foyer of Westminster University’s Meldrum Science Center until Nov. 25.
“It's gonna travel around Salt Lake and the region over the next year,” said Bornhoft. “It is starting in a science building just outside the lab where the scientists [who] consulted on the piece work.”
Following its departure from Westminster, it will be on display at the following locations:
- Marmalade Library, Nov. 30
- Utah State Capitol, Feb. 2
- Utah Museum of Contemporary Art, March 8
- Eccles Education Center at Farmington Bay, May 13-18
- Dumke Arts Plaza, June date to be determined
What is Wake the Great Salt Lake?
Wake the Great Salt Lake is a public art installation project. The Salt Lake County Arts Council is curating the temporary display program to advocate for the Great Salt Lake and the species that rely on it.
According to the project website, the project aims to bring nationally recognized artists to Salt Lake City.
It is being funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies’ Public Art Challenge.
Editor's note: The Great Salt Lake Collaborative is also a recipient of the Wake the Great Salt Lake funds. Our organization retains full authority over editorial content to protect the best journalistic and business interests of our organization. We maintain a firewall between news coverage decisions and sources of all revenue. You can read more about our editorial independence policy here.
