Column, Hardwood Production, Eastern United States, 1899, Odd Progression, 2016

96 x 24 inches
oak, poplar, maple, cottonwood, basswood, red gum, ash, birch, hickory, walnut, plywood, silicone

The association to scientific classification among the column works is presented in a more textual and material fashion in the column comprised of hardwood species harvested in the Eastern United States in 1899.  The examples used are ordered from top to bottom to match the amount produced in that year while the application of the boards is made with the grain running around the circumference rather than along the length.  Shown from top down are oak, poplar, maple, cottonwood, basswood, red gum, ash, birch, hickory and walnut.  Visibly missing are levels for elm and chestnut, species of wood that are no longer available due to eradication in the 20th century by diseases brought in by international trade.  Each level in the wood column has an odd number of sides: 3, 5, 7, 9 and so forth to 25 sides on the walnut prism at the bottom.