Under the bridge. | 45.040583/-93.170615

2024

27" x 21"     soil, acrylic binder, canvas  

October 20, 2022

Gathered sample at 3:56 PM from 45.040583/-93.170615.

July 7, 2024

Sample was left alone for nearly two years, sealed in the mason jar it was collected in. It was still damp. Surprisingly, however, there was no pungent odor.

Baked sample in oven, covered, for 2 hours at 225°, then at 200° for an additional 50 minutes. Removed foil and baked for 60 more minutes until dry: 3 hours, 50 minutes total.

UNREFINED SAMPLE WEIGHT: 590 grams.

July 11, 2024

40 minutes.

The sample is made almost entirely of sand and stones of various sizes. Black stones that break into charcoal powder; cream stones; gray stones; quartz.

A fishing line. A shard of black glass. Dried moss. A piece of rotten driftwood.

July 15, 2024

30 minutes.

July 18, 2024

33 minutes. Large yellow rock, nearly an inch and a half at its widest. It broke apart easily into chalky, yellow dust.

A small shard of iron from the mortar and pestle flaked into the sample. Removed contaminant.

July 19, 2024

1 hour, 5 minutes.

Another shard of iron removed.

July 20, 2024

1 hour, 32 minutes.

Fishing line completely ground down.

Tiny piece of black rubber found. Its elasticity is making it difficult to crush.

July 22, 2024

58 minutes.

Another small piece of rubber.

July 24, 2024

25 minutes.

The remainder of the sample, about an 8th of a teaspoon, is made of piece of pulverized rubber.

Complete.

TOTAL GRINDING TIME: 5.72 hours.

REFINED SAMPLE WEIGHT: 581 grams.

Added 29 grams of acrylic binder to sample (1/20th of sample’s weight). Added water until smooth. The mud smells a tad sweet, maybe citrusy. Applied to canvas; although plenty of water was added to the mixture, it behaved drier than normal and had trouble securing to the fabric.

July 25, 2024

Dry and complete.