Ashes and Snow

Photograph by Gregory Colbert

“In exploring the shared language and poetic sensibilities of all animals, I am working towards rediscovering the common ground that once existed when people lived in harmony with animals. The images depict a world that is without beginning or end, here or there, past or present.”—Gregory Colbert, Creator of Ashes and Snow

Gregory Colbert's Ashes and Snow is an ongoing project that weaves together photographic works, 35mm films, art installations and a novel in letters. With profound patience and an unswerving commitment to the expressive and artistic nature of animals, he has captured extraordinary interactions between humans and animals.

Zócalo Nomadic Museum

Gregory Colbert originally conceived of the idea for a sustainable traveling museum in 1999. He envisioned a structure that could easily be assembled in ports of call around the world, providing a transitory environment for his work on its global journey. The first public installation of Ashes and Snow at the Arsenale in Venice, which opened in 2002, inspired the architectural concepts used in the Nomadic Museum. The Zócalo Nomadic Museum, designed by Colombian architect Simón Vélez, occupied 5,130-square meters, and contained two galleries and three distinct theatres. For the first time, the Nomadic Museum incorporated water as a design element to recall the unique history of the Zócalo, which was once surrounded by canals. This architectural choice honored the symbolic significance of the Zócalo as the center of Mexico-Tenochtitlan, a city founded by the Aztecs on a small island in the middle of Lake Texcoco in 1325. Ashes and Snow will open in a new iteration of the bamboo Nomadic Museum in Brazil in 2009.

There you are

There You Are
Encaustic by Edie Morton

"Deer's medicine includes gentleness in word, thought and touch, ability to listen, grace and appreciation for the beauty of balance, understanding of what's necessary for survival, power of gratitude and giving, ability to sacrifice for the higher good, connection to the woodland spirits, alternative paths to a goal. "

Labyrinth at Dreaming Bear's

Dreams From the Labyrinth
Encaustic by Edie Morton

My friend, Dreaming Bear, lives on a beautiful, lush and wild property in North Georgia. There is a labyrinth, on the land, recently created and continuing to grow with sacred objects . There are stones from the creek, shells and crystals from other parts of the earth, bones, and turtle shells. Ganesh, Hindu deity and remover of obstacles, sits at the doorway to the path.

Walking a labyrinth is a meditative practice with intention of being fully present. I found the experience to be nourishing and grounding, bringing more awareness to each step. Living in an urban environment, I find all too often, I am focused on the destination of my intentions, goals and tasks. I realize that many of the gifts I pass by, due to preoccupation, go unnoticed or are never received. The experience of the labyrinth at Dreaming Bear's touched me and continues to reside in my spirit.