COASTING
The Silos on Sawyer, Houston, Tx
Centered in the silo space, a circular composition of digitally composed images of environments at every altitude, from sea level to high rises, constitute a towering, internally lit column that is suspended over a reservoir of water. Throughout the duration of the installation, water will soak into the paper strips effectively consuming the images as it climbs upward. The glowing column will illuminate the structure like a beacon calling for acknowledgement of climate change. There is strong evidence that sea level rise is an inevitable consequence of a warming climate and although there is a general feeling that this is a problem, the sense is that it will manifest itself in the distant future. As empirical evidence is lacking for many, therefore a heightened awareness is lacking. Coasting is meant to inspire people to imagine their cities reshaped by higher sea levels and raise awareness of changes that can be made now that will affect the not-so-distant future.
The images of environments from various altitudes are conflated into an abstract vertical composition, and may include images of the ocean- near the bottom of the column, merging upwards into images of city life and nature, and further upwards into sky. The colored water will start seeping into the printed paper strips and climb higher and higher as time passes, effectively mirroring the seemingly slow process that is our rising sea level. The effect may not be noticed in a few days time, but given a few weeks the water level will have risen a substantial distance to stain and distort the images, creating a new“coastal” demarcation. Visitors will have a pathway along the perimeter of the silo space to walk completely around the column, closely examining the changes occurring in the piece due to water infiltration and hopefully become engaged in the dialogue.