Tiffany O’Callaghan, CultureLab editor
(Images: David Liittschwager)
Photographer David Liittschwager used a green cage measuring 1 cubic foot to introduce random sampling into his documentation of six fragile ecosystems
See more in our gallery: "Portraits of life, one cubic foot at a time"
AS A photographer of the natural world, capturing the breadth of life within a buzzing and diverse environment is a challenge as monumental as it is enticing. How do you know where to start, or when to finish?
For David Liittschwager, it was a matter of making things personal in scale. "One cubic foot fits into your lap, it's something you can put your arms around," he says. This intuitive understanding of the space was what led him to the dimensions for the bright green stainless steel frame, shown above, which he built and then carried to different parts of the globe. Placing the frame in each new location, the idea was to photograph every species that lived in, or passed through, the space.
With the help of scientists who have specialist knowledge of the areas he visited, Liittschwager documented six different ecosystems. What he found in each region makes up his latest book, A World in One Cubic Foot.
Different locations required different techniques. At Table Mountain National Park in South Africa, he used a net and a vial to "borrow" insects as they flitted through the cube; at Temae Reef in French Polynesia, each specimen was kept to be documented, preserved and stored by the Smithsonian Institution in Washington DC.
It wasn't always straightforward, though. At Duck River in Lillard's Mill, Tennessee, the water was simply too laden with algae to get clear photographs, so Liittschwager had to improvise. He fitted the green frame with plexiglass, converting it into an aquarium. Into this he scooped bits of the river - including this fresh water mussel, Quadrula verrucosa, above.
Despite spending up to a month at each location, there were still species Liittschwager could not feature. Take his experience in Table Mountain: "We saw lots of small birds around, but we never saw one go into the cube," he says. Even with plants, he faced a difficult choice over which specific patch to focus on. "If you move the cube 5 feet to the right, that changes things", he says.
"I guess that's the dirty little secret about my one cubic foot project," Liittschwager says. "I never finished it - not even close." He hopes the project will be carried on by others and is working with the Smithsonian to develop a curriculum that teachers can use in their classrooms. "There's more to see," he says. "If you spend more time and get a little closer, there's always more there."
A World in One Cubic Foot: Portraits of biodiversity by David Liittschwager
University of Chicago Press