If you’re riding down a bike path in Teton County, you may come across one of David Buckley Borden’s site-specific installations, and if you’re interested in taking it with you, he’s totally cool with that. These ephemeral works are part of the artist’s larger Greater Yellowstone exhibit in Jackson, Wyoming, which explores the iconic national park’s ecosystem and the people who interact with, value and protect it.
Borden’s artwork often touches on environmental issues to help viewers gain access to information. “All my work aspires to communicate an ecological issue or some environmental crisis,” says Broden. “What I’m really trying to do is build an awareness of a lot of different issues, and I do it through accessible art and design, so it’s a counter to the doom and gloom approach that conservation groups use with ‘the world is ending’ type of messaging, because who really wants to engage with that?”
While Borden seeks to educate the public about their environmental impact, he wasn’t always well-versed in these issues, and didn’t really become exposed to environmental issues until he went back to grad school, where his interest in the outdoors was reinvigorated. To help others responsively interact with the natural environment, he strives to educate them through his work. “I have this theory that most folks aren’t inherently bad stewards of the land or environment. In many respects, they just don’t know any better, and I was a textbook example six years ago before I went back to school.”
For his Greater Yellowstone project, Borden created 24 “Unsolicited Proposals,” which were inspired by 36 informational interviews with various stakeholders of the national park. “The project totally developed in a way that I didn’t anticipate. It was originally supposed to be a mapping project, but what I found more powerful is that all these folks coexist, and while they have vastly different interests, they’re all rooting for the environment and working toward a common goal.”
His “Unsolicited Proposals” emerged from these conversations, leading to Borden creating a series of related site-specific installations around Teton County. “I did these light touch interventions, kind of like street art, but they’re in the woods or on a bike path and don’t damage the property. For the most part, I noticed even while there for just a couple of weeks, people were taking them, and I don’t know if they did because they were cleaning up or because they wanted them, but I love the idea that you can stumble upon a piece of art and take it home with you. I’m not interested in leaving a mark. That’s counter to what I believe in. If people want to take it home, go for it.”
However, if you ask Borden where to find his installations, he won’t be able to provide you with directions. “I didn’t make a map. I don’t actually know where they are. I just went on a four-mile bike ride, took some with me, and put them up along the path.”
This article was originally published in RANGE Magazine Issue Four.
Photos courtesy of David Buckley Borden.
XX ALEX