Impressions of a WSUV Douglas Fir

When entering WSUV’s Undergraduate building (VUB), most will simply head straight to class, and the only reason most will look up is as they climb the stairs. Look up just as you enter the building though and you’ll see a series of engraved wooden planks, suspended by wire from the vaulted ceiling above, where the large glass windows surrounding it allow in ample light.

These engraved wooden planks are an installation called “Impressions.”

According to WSUV’s page on the installation, before construction of VUB in early 2008, there was a Douglas Fir tree which needed to be removed. As artist Stu Schecter started creating an art installation for the newest building on campus, he repurposed the remains of the Douglas Fir to create something new.

“As I disassembled the majestic Douglas Fir that once lived on this site, a question kept running through my head that inspired the imagery I carved into the planks… What kind of impression can I leave?” Schecter said.

Ultimately, he decided to engrave each plank with a variety of plants and animals native to the local area. On one plank, a series of fish can be seen swimming up the wood, while other planks are adorned with different animal tracks. Engraved on more planks is David Wagoner’s poem, Lost.

Stand still. The trees ahead and bushes beside you
Are not lost. Wherever you are is called Here,
And you must treat it as a powerful stranger,
Must ask permission to know it and be known.
The forest breathes. Listen. It answers,
I have made this place around you.
If you leave it, you may come back again, saying Here.
No two trees are the same to Raven.
No two branches are the same to Wren.
If what a tree or a bush does is lost on you,
You are surely lost. Stand still. The forest knows
Where you are. You must let it find you.

When standing directly beneath the installation, you can see that the wood is arranged in the shape of a tree that once stood at the same spot. This almost seems like an homage to the Douglas Fir that once was, just as the subject matter engraved onto the planks reflect the local flora and fauna, always grounding you within the order that lies in nature, an order that persists.

Looking at the artwork from the second level of the building offers another viewing experience entirely. When viewed from this vantage point, pattern and line are emphasized, echoing nature’s order that the Douglas Fir was once a part of in its life.