In The Steps Of Giants

When Merli V. Guerra, assistant professor of dance technology at Texas A&M University, brought her family to the Waco Mammoth National Monument for a visit, she was so taken with the site, she immediately contacted the National Park Service. What resulted is a one-of-a-kind research and performance project blending paleontology, technology and the arts.

With help from her students and colleagues in the College of Performance, Visualization and Fine Arts, the first phase of Guerra’s vision for Waco Mammoth came to life in July, with performers moving in the same space occupied by a majestic herd of mammoths more than 65,000 years ago.

A Stunning Site

Guerra said what she encountered at Waco Mammoth sparked her artistic inquiry. It is the only nursery herd (adult females and juveniles) of Pleistocene Columbian mammoths found in the world.

The fossils, unearthed in 1978, have been carefully preserved in situ, allowing visitors to view them as they were found, embedded in the earth. The site became a national monument in 2015 and continues to be an active dig and research location.

Guerra was captivated, not only by the scientific significance of the site but by the quiet stillness of the fossils themselves.

“They appear static — tactile remains that aren’t animated in any way,” she said. “But these were once living, breathing beings. That realization made me want to bring movement back into this space.”

‘Fossilizing The Ephemeral’

Her response was to launch a project titled “Fossilizing the Ephemeral,” a multi-year artistic and technological endeavor that uses motion capture, 3D modeling and fabrication to create sculptures based on the dancers’ movements. “These sculptural forms echo the individuality of each fossilized bone at the site,” Guerra said.

Guerra, who holds a Master of Fine Arts in Dance from Rutgers University, is an award-winning choreographer and interdisciplinary artist whose work combines dance, technology and film to honor historic sites. She co-founded and directed Boston’s accoladed Luminarium Dance Company from 2010-2024 and continues to produce her PLACE Project (Presenting Landmarks through Artistic Community Engagement). Guerra’s artistic works have been presented at hundreds of events across the U.S. and internationally, with permanent installations in the U.S. and Portugal. She regularly collaborates with scientists, most recently with astronomers in Massachusetts and big cat biologists in Tanzania.

For the Waco project, she used the College of Architecture’s Innovation Hub & Makerspace to take the dancers’ movements, captured digitally, and turn them into physical sculptures using 3D printing — what she calls a “tactile artifact” or “trace fossil” of a dance.

“Dance is never performed the same way twice,” Guerra explained. “Each sculpture is innately unique with every printing, just like the bones themselves. It’s a way of preserving something that’s usually fleeting.” In addition to making meaningful souvenirs post-performance, the sculptures make dance more inclusive by allowing visually impaired individuals to experience a performance through touch.

“It’s a way to make the intangible tangible,” she said. “To give people something they can hold onto, literally.”

Another component of the project involves community engagement. Guerra is inviting local residents to contribute their own movements to the project, which will be transformed into a collaborative sculpture. This “creative placemaking” initiative is designed to foster a sense of ownership and pride in the region’s cultural and natural heritage.

“What I love about this work is that it goes beyond myself and my collaborators,” Guerra said. “It’s about the community. It’s about honoring the culture and history of the area and inviting people to share their own experiences as a part of that story.”

Dr. Lindsey Yann, a National Park Service paleontologist at Waco Mammoth, says the partnership with Guerra allowed her to re-imagine the space herself, and she hopes it inspires others as well.  “So many people don’t realize that Waco Mammoth National Monument even exists,” she said. “I hope this little bit of information will create a spark of curiosity [to] come to the site, see these amazing mammoths and learn about the science and the different collaborations that are going on here.”

If ‘Interdisciplinary’ Was A Person

Guerra says the way she blends the arts and sciences reflects her own multifaceted identity. “You don’t have to be just one thing when you grow up,” she said. “I’m a dancer, choreographer, writer, installation artist, filmmaker and graphic designer. I use all those skill sets to tell people’s stories in new and creative ways.”

This philosophy underpins her teaching and collaborative work at Texas A&M, where she encourages students and colleagues to view their disciplines through fresh perspectives. “How can we look at the things we do in a completely new light?” she asks. “That’s really my goal with anyone I work with.”

Guerra’s Waco Mammoth project is structured as a four-year endeavor, with initial works being presented this year to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the site’s designation as a national monument. A larger body of work is planned for 2028, marking the 50th anniversary of the first fossil discoveries at the site. Guerra’s installations will evolve over time, incorporating new technologies and community contributions.

In recognition of her innovative approach, the National Park Service has named Guerra the first Artist in Residence at the Waco Mammoth National Monument. “I am so grateful for this honor,” she said. “It’s a historic appointment that reflects the ever-expanding impact of interdisciplinary collaboration in public spaces.”