Sara Black and Amber Ginsburg are interdisciplinary artists whose collaborative practice explores the material histories and ecological significance of objects. Rooted in sculpture, installation, and social practice, their work often involves repurposing discarded or ecologically compromised materials to comment on the cycles of use, decay, and regeneration. Both artists are deeply invested in the environmental and political implications of material transformation, especially in how humans interact with the natural world. Their projects highlight the gestures embedded in labor, craft, and care—encouraging viewers to reflect on their own material consumption and responsibility toward the environment (Black and Ginsburg).

Their project 7000 Marks exemplifies this ethos by transforming a diseased tanoak tree—once threatened by sudden oak death—into 7,000 hand-cut pencils. The gesture of converting a dying tree into writing instruments serves both as an act of mourning and of potential renewal. Installed as part of a public exhibition, the pencils represent individual marks that people can make—literally and metaphorically—in response to ecological loss. Viewers are invited to interact with the pencils, turning the space into a collective reflection on human agency and environmental stewardship. This work aligns with the theme of environmental activism in art by using tactile, spatial, and participatory elements to communicate the fragility of ecosystems and the potential for creative engagement to inspire change (Black and Ginsburg).

Below Images come from https://www.amberginsburg.com/back-archive/3cf8wfmte6xl8sdlygc7lb7wslky5n.