Works > Another Brief History of the Sunset

The Outer Sunset, once all dune land,was before development home to a species of butterfly which likely had had a symbiotic relationship with a species of ant, also native to the area (though its fate is less well documented).

As the area of the Outer Sunset or Outerlands became inhabited, and non-native ant species replaced native, disturbing the symbiotic relationship the Xerces Blue butterfly became an iconic figure of extinction. It was the first recorded butterfly extinction in North America.
The last recoded sighting occurring in 1943.
This project likens this repurposing of habitat to the contemporary climate of the city as it undergoes a period of rapid change.