The Petriverse of Pierre Jardin: by Paul A. Harris Main Menu Paul A. Harris

Strange Fossils

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"A fossil is a time traveller and a spark, an interpenetration of epochs. It seizes the attentive observer, conveys a deep and multifaceted temporality, offers an invitation to worlds differently configured. Petrified remnants that upon excavation start moving again, a fossil that engenders relation conveys kinetic story" (Cohen 99).

The petrification of Pierre Jardin, while obscure in origin, has not produced a dramatic change in his size or appearance. The same cannot be said for two fossils displayed in the Petriverse garden. A rockfish specimen (perched on stone) appears to have expanded by a factor of 10 as it fossilized. Jardin consulted paleontologists to confirm the absence of any known prehistoric rockfish specimen of this size in the fossil record. A mundane looking species when alive, the rockfish turns downright dynamic as it turns to stone.  

Even more odd is this fossil's even larger transformation in size—in the opposite direction. Severe shrinkage has made it difficult to discern whether the creature was a brontosaurus or an elephant face and trunk (in profile). While DNA tests might reveal which animal it is, resolving the taxonomical question is unlikely to resolve the mystery of how and why these fossils change scales as they turn to stone. 

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  1. Stone is the New Green Paul A. Harris

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