These are photos of the piece located in the Performing Arts Center on Western Washington University’s Campus.

The music in this video was looped to change little by little in respect to how Claude Zervas represent the Nooksack’s Middle Fork changing more and more over time.

Video By: Angela Carey

Music By: Colleen Sawyer

About The Artist

Claude Zervas – Nooksack Middle Fork

In the 1970’s Claude Zervas grew up near Deming, a town about 13 miles from Bellingham, Washington. He used to go to the woods as a kid and that’s where he’d find the the Middle Fork of the Nooksack. He attended Western Washington University in the 1980’s then moved to Paris. He’s now residing in Seattle, Washington. His works have also been displayed in the Whitney Museum of American Art, Seattle art Museum, Tacoma Art Museum, and the Microsoft Corporation.

An exhibition related to the “Nooksack Middle Fork” was a video projection of the Skagit River, which he created using a large computer generator and fluorescent lamps to broadcast the image. This scene was placed at Western last January. Although he is known for being able to work with all types of canvases, he is most widely known for his modern approach to color and light which is swayed by nature. He created a section that represented his mind and how he saw quasicrystals. These types of artwork have been created in many different ways but all have the same similar shape and color scheme.

By: Sofia Marck and Angela Carey

The River

The Nooksack River originally drained into Lum mi Bay, however after 19th and 20th century settlers had altered the landscape through the trapping of beaver, logging, draining of wetlands, it imposed channel changes. This caused much change to the prehistoric landscape which now drains into the Bellingham Bay. Grabert, (1983) a Western Washington University alumni took data on the Ferndale site, located on the upriver end of the Nooksack River. He found through excavation of the site that the Nooksack delta is incredibly complex and an ever evolving site, changing from marine processes and within the watershed. Based on shell deposits and radiocarbon dates, Grabert has predicted that the shoreline had shifted and has found evidence of early hunting and shellfish processing. This new research implies that the Nooksack River has been used by humans for longer than previously thought of and that as the artist Claude Zervas acknowledged, the river is always changing.

The Nooksack river is composed of the North, Middle, and South Fork. Altogether the river is approximately 75 miles long. The River is partially blocked by a dam that diverts the water into Bellingham’s drinking water supply, Lake Whatcom. Since diverting paths from Lummi Bay to it’s current channel, the river has started producing new river delta which has been a topic of field research due to the new wetlands it has produced.

By: Colleen Sawyer

Behind The Piece: Nooksack River Middle Fork

There isn’t much information about this sculpture and the reason for that is it was created within the past few years. The artwork was shot by using a drone meaning it was within the few years that drones started becoming popular. He says the thought behind this sculpture did not come from the time he created it, rather it was a memory from when he was a child. Zervas grew up on a big plot of land near Deming, and as a child he explored the land. This memory and connection was said to be a helpful influence behind the “Nooksack Middle Fork”.

The Nooksack river was located near where Claude Zervas grew up. He says, “Having grown up there, it just has such a deep connection that I can’t help but be influenced by it.” He also says that the river changes every time he comes back to see it. “There’s a little bit of sadness involved”. It seems that his intent was to represent his fondness and deep connection with the Nooksack’s Middle Fork. His work represents that as he grows up and changes, the river does too.

By: Sofia Marck and Colleen Sawyer

Credit:

Info about the River and Music created by: Colleen Sawyer

Info about the Sculpture and Video Editing by: Angela Carey

Info about the Artist and Editing by: Sofia Marck

Sources:

http://www.academia.edu/401656/The_Importance_of_Deltaic_Wetland_Resources_A_Perspective_from_the_Nooksack_River_Delta_Washington_Statehttps://westerngallery.wwu.edu/glaciertime.shtml

Margaret Bikman, “New Public Art by Claude Zervas at WWU” January 6, 2016. http://www.bellinghamherald.com/entertainment/article51370735.html

https://westerngallery.wwu.edu/glaciertime.shtml

http://shellyleavens.com/artwork/3582365-Claude-Zervas-Quasicrystals.html

http://www.bellinghamherald.com/entertainment/article51370735.html