From the subsurface to approximately 5k deep into the earth is a region known as the “Deep Biosphere”. In the dense bedrock, life lives in the rock fissures and spaces. The deep biosphere contains microbial life on a massive scale. It is one of the least studied ecosystems despite the fact that it accounts for a huge amount of biomass. It has been called the “dark matter” of the biological universe. According to Professor of Earth Sciences and deep biosphere expert, Dr. Karen Lloyd, while all of the microbes on earth’s surface account for approximately 2 billion tons, the deep biosphere microbe quantity is estimated to be 40 billion tons–roughly 20 times that of all of the microbe life above the bedrock! “Life in the Deep Biosphere” was inspired by this amazing ecosystem and highlights a “probable imagininging” of a roughly 3k deep cross section of Canadian Shield geology found in the BWCA. An overlay of shining silk represents the microbial life. Overlaid on wool felt in colors and shapes mimicking geological formations..

Many thanks to geologist Rudy Molinek, precambrian geologist Amy Radakovich, and biogeochemist Lang DeLancey for their guidance in the creation of the work.

*Currently showing at Friends of the Boundary Waters offices in Ely, MN for the month of October. Available on November 1, 2026.