Listen
Box construction with poem
13.5"h x 11"w x 1.5"d

Susan Campbell

created in response to From the Darkness, We Sing the Mighty Land into Being
composed by Jennifer Wright

The braided sounds of an Athabaskan drum, flute, and clarinet entwined with mythical chanting evoke memories of times when I felt awash in the primeval power of Denali’s landscape, how it reveals an ancient past, evidence of massive forces of creation. I wrote the poem, Listen, in response to Jennifer Wright’s inspiration— the possibility that myth and science can coexist to describe the magical nature of wilderness. I believe the two are complementary and invite thoughtful contemplation.

The three arrangements of stones, twigs, bones, and quills are emblematic of patterns I’ve seen in Denali’s landscape, the miniature echoing the immense. They are also a metaphor for the way I heard silence give birth to order in Jennifer’s creation song.