3 mins . video loop, no audio . 2021
Video art print via Infinite Objects . 5.7 x 8.4 x 0.9 inches . made to order
The “Messages from the Marsh” project is developed via site-specific research, video documentation, and in-person engagement, and reflect on immersion of spaces inhabited, spaces transformed, and spaces lost. The water’s skin, the separation of the realms of water and air, are explored through underwater and over water imaging. Each piece works in relationship with each other to suggest a fuller, interconnected and dynamic rhythm with resonant impact across their spaces. This work focuses on coastal marsh locations on the east coast, areas that are projected to be lost under water by 2050 through combinations of sea level rise, tides, and storm surge. I’ll continue to video above and within the marsh water bodies, and also create topographical maps of the marshes. The maps will be made with site-specific sediment and watermarking to be displayed along with the video. Community engagement and interviewing local residents for personal stories, their relationship with the marshes and the potential loss of these areas to ocean reclamation and salt marsh ecosystem collapse, is also an important discovery. Exploring Indigenous history is vital, along with researching the impact of the coastal marsh loss on the ecosystem and probable species extinction, and efforts in preservation and management.
Coastal marsh areas considered for the continued project, with travel permitting:
- Scituate, Conservation Park, Marshfield, Duxbury, North and South Rivers Basin
- Ipswich Salt Marsh, Great Marsh Area, Plum Island reserve, Mass Audubon’s Rough Meadows Wildlife Sanctuary, Parker River National Wildlife Refuge
- Rachel Carson National Wildlife Refuge
- Boston Harbor Islands
- Truro, Pamet & Salt Marsh, Sandwich, Sandy Neck Beach Great Marshes
- New York/Lower Manhattan, Long Island South Bay
- Delaware, Black Water National Refuge
- NC Outer Banks, Alligator River reserve, Currituck Outer Banks, Shackleford Banks, Rachel Carson Reserve on Carrot Island Crystal Coast, Cedar Island National Wildlife Refuge
- Savannah, Savannah National Wildlife Refuge
- Ogunquit, Wells National Estuarine Research Reserve
- Miami, Everglades National Park, Florida Keys
Special thanks to Kenneth Hinegardner
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