Advanced Sculpture, 2014

Project 2: Place

My intention for these pieces of work were to make very mathematically and quantifiable lines that were created by nature or a natural process in nature. The marks on rocks were representations of the natural ebb and flow of the tide.  This being said I based my work off of Andy Goldsworthy’s work and his close relationship the ways that nature does what nature does.

By drawing these I wanted to almost press pause on nature in this specific place. I was able to create these lines that showed the high and low tides as the came in and started to flow back out. The process was very mathematically based since it required timing of the tides and the time lapse of drawing the lines. I focused specifically on high tide and low tide not the in between. Also this became very process based drawing the lines. In creating this project as the artist I created a bond with the place because I was emerging myself in to quite literally in the water at high tide that goes down the coastline. The setting for my project is on a small beach on Route 5 located across from Queen Anne Hall. The lines were created using non-toxic oil pastels so that it wouldn’t wash away initially but will eventually disappear. I wanted to make sure that nothing I was doing would be invasive to the environment. I tried very hard to not allow myself to create perfect lines rather I wanted to flow where the water line was exactly situated on the line. The lines almost contrast the idea of natural ebb and flow when you think about how we rarely we try to stop or disrupt the flow of water.

The work that displays the high tide line down the coast I would have to say was most successful. It allows you to see where the water used to be and is. Also I found that naturally the rocks had a color difference but I was unaware of this until after low tide what had I created it. I emerged myself in the water during high tide and marked on all of the large surfaced rocks the high tide water level creating this line that can be well seen from the shore.

I would have to say that the weakest part of my project is that without clarification these works just look like rocks with lines all over them.  As an artist my relationship with the water and in creating these lines connected with my aspirations to become a marine biologist. I think without the viewer having this personal connection to the piece there will be some confusion in what the purpose is.  Also since the setting is right across from my dorm, Queen Anne, I am able to go see this work more often since the view of the waterfront is very prominent from there.  Another thing that I would change is that I would have recorded the tide over the full six hours from high to low tide or vice versa. There is a large gap between the high and low tide marks that could have been filled in. This may have made it look more consistent with my patter of lines and then changing colors between high and low tide.