Timothy Weaver Professor Emeritus University of Denver

 

On Wednesday evening March 11, 2026 as the sun set, Tim shed flesh and bone and muscle to lighten his load and travel on to the place where light, color and sound emerge.  In the nights following his passing, the sky turned magenta with the pulsing reflection of the solar flares manifest as the Northern Lights….a softer consideration of the earth’s lament for Tim’s passing, which had been proceeded by the howling winds of loss.  Quieter and gentler, the colors pulsed in and out of my visual perception to remind me of the vastness of mystery-perhaps a contemplation of the divine which equates to the essence of “Tim-ness.”

Tim’s physical being will be missed.  His laughter and humor, his compassion, his talented creative hands. His mind vast, complex and imaginative.  His ability to listen, perceive and record sound from the natural and scientific worlds which he transformed into exquisite compositions. His commitment to environmental and cultural preservation evident in the work he did in indigenous communities, allowing him the privilege to access other traditions and ways of knowing.  His desire for knowledge and his curiosity to look beyond the obvious to what lays deep within and to use it to generate artistic works of visual and sonic expression.

The beginning of March under dark New Mexican skies in the predawn hours Tim and I watched the moon and earth in their planetary eclipse dance of shadow and light. Reminiscent of the dark sky twin of the southern hemisphere recalled in our wanders through the Atacama desert and the Patagonian south.  The duality of north and south America always present in our sensibilities. The ensuing day was paused by the distinctive call of sandhill cranes on their migratory path north and the stunning moment lived.  The splendor of landscape, flora and fauna always at the center of a backpack, mountain bike, hike, ski or kayak and the wonders of natural beauty always celebrated and enhanced with laughter and love.

The echo of Tim’s life reverberates in time spent living in his home in the Colorado Rocky Mountain foothills and wandering the western environs of mountains and desert canyons.  It reverberates in the beloved animals who shared that home. It reverberates in the echoes of family and his childhood growing up in western Pennsylvania. It reverberates in his passion for teaching, mirrored in the legacy of his students. The resonance exists in his explorations of chasing whale and lichen sound, in the pursuit of datura bloom impulses and the recording of the Amazonian night’s aural complexity -a cacophony of beginnings and endings.

His laughter and voice will move on through eternity.  His touch tender and remembered. His presence incorporated into all who loved him.  And the echoes will repeat in this love of family and friends and that which connects us all eternally in the cosmic web.

In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to a worthy cause of your choice.  Tim believed in making a difference and in reciprocity.

Tim received a BS in Microbiology, and a MS in Environmental Engineering from Purdue University. He received a MFA in Sculpture from the University of Colorado.

Tim is survived by his best friend and spouse, Katie.  He is survived by his sister Kimberly Free of NC, his brother, Michael and wife Nancy Weaver of VA, their children Jennifer, Patrick and Whitney and his beloved Aunt Edie Malizia of NY.  He is survived by his nieces Courtney Kaulbach of CA, Ashley Autrey of TX and Whitney Kaulbach, her husband Marc and their daughter Kata of VT.  Predeceased by his parents Wayne Alvin and Virginia Grace Weaver. So many friends and family on this side and the other side of the divide.

Timothy dedicated his career as a biomedia artist, microbiologist, and bioenvironmental engineer to restoring ecological memory through the process of speculative inquiry within the interface of art and science. He received a master of fine arts in sculpture from the University of Colorado, Boulder, a master of science in environmental engineering, and a bachelor of science in microbiology from Purdue University. His research areas included biomedia, bio/eco acoustics, emerging interactions, live cinema, immersive environments, sustainable design, ecosemiotics, and ecological memory. 

As an internationally renowned collaborator, Timothy brought together scientists, researchers, artists, and critical thinkers—at all stages of their careers—together within a shared collaborative space. What emerged was next-level thinking that combined care for the most precarious global environment and all its inhabitants with a renewed commitment to sustainable art and science practices. 

Timothy’s live cinema, video, sonic, and interactive installation projects have been featured at over 150 venues across North America, South America, Europe, and Asia. At a national level, his creative works were presented at the 92nd Street Y (NYC), the Denver Art Museum, the Boston Cyberarts Gallery, MIT, the New York Digital Salon, and the National Institutes of Health. His visiting artist projects and lectures have been conducted at the United Nations' COP 20 Culture Program/Fundación Telefónica (Lima, Peru), the Santa Fe Institute, the Stanford Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics, the University of Pittsburgh, and the University of Colorado, Boulder, among many others.  

In his teaching, Timothy taught courses on interactive art, sustainable design, biomedia, emergent digital systems, and research methods. Timothy's vision and commitment to sustainable, interdisciplinary educational ecosystems was a driving force behind the formation of the Emergent Digital Practices program, in partnership with the School of Art and Art History . He was a devoted mentor to the EDP graduate students and profoundly influenced their culminating research and creative output.