Astrobiologists are increasingly convinced that life on Earth itself might have started in the sulfurous cauldron around hydrothermal vents. Vent environments minimize oxygen and radiation, which can damage primitive molecules. Indeed, many of the primordial molecules needed to jump-start life could have formed in the subsurface from the interaction of rock and circulating hot water driven by hydrothermal systems. - NASA Science News

CDs are made from petroleum formed in the earth’s ancient past, made into plastic, and then pressed with information that is now obsolescent: computer programs which were once state-of-the-art, but now meaningless. Other CDs hold memories and images.

Most of this sculpture is made from petroleum products and commonplace objects. The assembled piece conjures up the image of the tubeworms that live near hydrothermal vents deep in the bottoms of our seas, reminding us that there is so much more to learn about the earth’s deep reaches. Do they hold the secret of the beginnings of life?

Lyn MacDonald –Organisms From The Depths of Time

Materials: Recycled CDs, copper scouring pads, zip lock ties, swimming noodles, drainage tubes, weed whacker filament and duct tape.

Lyn’s studio is in Arlington, MA. She has been a member of Studios Without Walls since 2010. More of her outdoor work can be seen on www.studioswithoutwalls.org.

(A BIG Thank you! to all of the helping hands that made this happen.)