Salvaged ash tree and blemished baseball bats donated from Rawlings
Installation at Laumeier Sculpture Park, St. Louis, MO
Photo by ProPhotoSTL
Shin’s engagement with Laumeier focuses on North American ash trees, which are under threat from the Emerald Ash Borer, an insect whose populations have increased exponentially due to global warming. She draws awareness to this issue, as well as related topics around climate change and conservation, by highlighting their connection to the all-American sport of baseball.
Shin's site-responsive installation Home Base figures an alternate baseball diamond, one where a salvaged stump of a dead ash tree from Laumeier Sculpture Park is fashioned into the shape and size of a home plate. First, second, and third bases are reimagined as sculptural seats or benches created from the same ash tree and blemished bats donated by Rawlings, the sports manufacturer who supplies baseball bats to the St. Louis Cardinals. The artist endeavors to foreground the connection between nature and culture, specifically between a nationally treasured game and our beautiful forests.
Sited at Laumeier’s South Lawn, Home Base is situated around a lone ash tree; a path of wood pavers guides visitors to each “base.” Together, they show the progression from stump to custom wood seating, which provides rest points for contemplation and conversation.
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