Wolf and Moose

2016
City of Minneapolis/ Northern Lights
Minneapolis Creative City Challenge Winner

Wolf and Moose, originally commissioned by the City one Minneapolis, are interactive, animated and illuminated sculptures of a wolf and a moose. Like giant mechanical toys, interior animations can be activated by participants pedaling a stationary bike mounted under each of the figures, rotating an Earth globe nested in the thorax of the Wolf and beating a steel drum heartbeat in the chest of the Moose. Participants can also pull a rope, to make the Wolf howl and the Moose bellow. The pedaling action also actuates an audio repeater to play spoken word poetry by Ojibwa author Heid Erdrich, couched in the soundscape of Trevino Brings-Plenty.

Christopher created the Wolf and Moose to reflect the unique qualities and ethos of the Minneapolis community, while inspiring thinking outside the urban box. The sculptures engage people in contemplating our connection to animals and how we depend upon them for our very existence. The pieces are built around a three-point ecological framework that celebrates our community’s conscious effort and accomplishments around development of renewable energy, expansion of more sustainable transportation and a responsibility towards reducing our consumption and waste of raw materials.The pieces are made of 90% waste-stream materials, including over 7,000 recycled plastic bottles, 320 yards of reclaimed window screening and hundreds of feet of CATV coaxial cable end-runs.