One Cubic Foot

I can still recall Pamela Reed Sanchez’ excitement when we met for lunch over a year ago and she showed me a gorgeous coffee table book by photographer David Liittschwager. Liittschwager had placed cubic foot frames in various ecosystems, and photographed what passed through them in a 24-hour period. Pamela, Executive Director of the Seneca Park Zoo Society, was keen to contact Liittschwager and discuss purchasing the rights to replicate the project in Rochester. Now, I’m not a fan of bugs, but the photos (mostly of bugs…) were stunning, and it certainly seemed like an interesting concept. And it definitely fit within the Zoo’s mission of biodiversity education.

As it turned out, Liittschwager didn’t need convincing to come conduct the project himself, and last August, he brought One Cubic Foot to the Genesee River. The Zoo partnered with the Rochester Contemporary Art Center(RoCo) to mount an exhibit of Liittschwager’s photographs, which opened this past First Friday. The gallery was bustling, and representatives from the Zoo were on hand to explain the project and the specimen photos, 60 of which are artfully displayed along with a sample “cube.” Not only did the team photograph what passed through, but they documented and analyzed the DNA of the various specimen.

While the exhibit could have been the culmination of the project, Pamela has greater aspirations. She, Liittschwager, and a group from the Smithsonian are partnering with Allendale Columbia to take 15 students to Madagascar for their class trip, where they will replicate the project and conduct DNA barcoding, in anticipation not just of documenting, but perhaps discovering new species. And in the autumn, the Zoo will be reaching out to schools along the Genesee River, where they will bring One Cubic Foot to “like waters” along the entire length of the river, to compare and contrast results.

Charlie and I quickly agreed that we wanted the print of the Candystriped Leafhopper, and he couldn’t resist the Magnolia Warbler, as well. Since you have to have an odd number, he let me choose the third, and I finally settled on the Green Frog, over a really pretty turtle that I was informed was “invasive” (i.e., out of its natural habitat, likely introduced to the river as an unwanted pet).

The exhibit runs through March 13, and is well worth a visit. While you're there, you will also be able to see the current Makers & Mentors exhibition.