Cartography of the Unseen

Meryl McMaster

Print on aluminum

The Great Sandhills of Saskatchewan are the second largest active sand dune in Canada. The sandy deposits here we laid down ages ago by glacial meltwaters. This place and the rich prairie wildlife that shelter in the surrounding hills are threatened by the creeping oil and gas extraction industry as roads and pipelines are becoming increasingly common across the landscape. Many animals such as the Whooping Crane, seen as a beacon atop my head, have become endangered and displaced species. The dunes represent the ever-changing landscape always erasing, rewriting, and covering over previous lives. I stand seeking a trove of hidden wisdom and experience.