Karst: A Landscape of Mineral and Water

Holly Veselka

I am a conceptual artist from central Texas who uses emerging technologies as both medium and subject to highlight issues of land, biodiversity, and climate change. I live in a region of karst limestone whose porous nature has supported numerous natural springs and endemic species such as the San Marcos blind salamander. The limestone however is being mined at an alarming rate for concrete, which in this part of the world is considered a green building material. The live conversation takes place within a 3D animated video about the limestone—it’s animal origins from the Cretaceous Period, its natural architecture carved by water and home to the species who live in aquifers and springs, and its mined use for green construction. While the video is playing, I  tell the story of this rock, and a location called the Cascades in San Marcos, TX. This is a location where flowing water disappears into the limestone, going underground into a giant aquifer made of limestone. The site is unique as it is marked with a 300 year old indigenous water marker (a deformed Live Oak that points to the spot where the water disappears underground.) The water sites in this area are considered sacred by the indigenous Coahuiltecan people, and this specific natural area has been inhabited continuously for over 10,000 years.