Yasmin Smith Recreates the Dinosaur Extinction in Glaze | Yasmin Smith: Elemental Life

Why It Matters

The installation bridges hard science and visual art, making the Chicxulub extinction’s chemistry tangible for the public and fostering interdisciplinary dialogue on planetary change.

Key Takeaways

• Artist uses ceramic glazes to visualize Chicxulub impact chemistry.
• 15 samples replicate pre- and post-impact rock layers in glaze.
• Suevite breccia formed only by asteroid impacts highlighted visually.
• Glaze colors reflect calcium from extinct Cretaceous marine organisms.
• Installation links extinction event to ongoing ecological rebirth.

Summary

Yasmin Smith’s latest project, "Elemental Life," translates the chemistry of the Chicxulub impact into a series of ceramic glazes, turning a planetary catastrophe into a tactile visual narrative. Collaborating with Curtin University geochemist Professor Kliti Grice, Smith received fifteen core samples from the crater’s drill‑core, spanning the pre‑impact sediment, the impact‑altered suevite breccia, and post‑impact tsunami deposits.

Using detailed chemical analyses, she recreated the elemental composition of each layer in glaze form, arranging them to highlight the sharp extinction boundary where asteroid‑derived materials meet younger sediments. The work emphasizes the unique formation of suevite—rock only produced by massive impacts—and showcases a vivid calcium‑rich hue derived from ancient marine organisms that perished during the Cretaceous.

Smith points to the visual “zoom‑in” lines in the installation, which isolate specific elemental shifts, and draws a parallel between the Chicxulub event and the Seine River Basin’s own Cretaceous legacy. The glaze’s abundance of calcium serves as a reminder that the ashes of extinction feed future life, underscoring the cyclical nature of planetary renewal.

By merging rigorous geochemical data with artistic expression, the piece offers a compelling educational tool, inviting audiences to grasp the scale of mass extinctions and the resilience of Earth’s ecosystems. It exemplifies how interdisciplinary collaborations can transform complex scientific narratives into accessible, emotionally resonant experiences.

Original Description

Extinction, ash and rebirth.

66 million years ago, the Chicxulub impact triggered the mass extinction that wiped out most dinosaurs. Using crater core samples from the Gulf of Mexico, this work turns the chemistry of that catastrophe into ceramic glazes - mapping the exact boundary between impact and aftermath.

Watch the full documentary about _Yasmin Smith: Elemental Life_ on our YouTube channel.

Video credits available in the full film.

#dinosaurs #asteroid #ceramic