Moose Running
Joyce Koskenmaki
Moose Running
Artist Statement
Climate change is causing devastating changes to wildlife especially in the north. The Moose Running is a metaphor for the effects of global warming on all wild animals.
This moose is running from a forest fire, but warmer temperatures also make moose more vulnerable to diseases and parasites. I was inspired by ancient rock paintings across North America and Asia which use a style recently named "x-ray" in which the interior of the animal is decorated with stylized views of its skeleton.
When an animal was depicted this way it indicated the sacredness of the animal. I photographed the skeleton of a moose in a museum and I had a photo sent from my sister in Alaska, of a moose running through her yard. The two photos matched, and I was able to put them together. I wanted in this way to express my own feelings about the sacredness of all wild animals.