Flood Aftermath; Rebirth

An Installation of Visual History

Collaborative Concepts, Saunders Farm Project, 2011 exhibiting Sept.3 - Nov. 2, 2011

Over the past two years, the United States has seen record flooding. From the midwest to the east coast, farmers have lost their crops, roads have been washed out, houses have been destroyed, and people have lost their lives. In the aftermath of one of these floods, I had the opportunity to meet and interview one of the survivors. The story he told was one of loss and hope, and it moved and inspired me. Though I didn't know it at the time, it also planted the seed that would become my sculpture, “Flood Aftermath; Rebirth.”

Not long after this interview, Collaborative Concepts invited me to write a proposal for their 2011 Farm Project at Saunders Farm. I had never created an outdoor scultpture before, but inspired by the stories still fresh in my memory, I agreed. I determined to create the sort of nest you find in flooded areas after the water has receded, a nest made of debris and the remnants of people's lives. I would weave it out of twigs, and shelter in its base people's lost possessions: broken dishes, lost mail, a wallet with a picture, greeting cards, rusted tools, toy cars and a baby doll, faded from the sun and covered in dirty river water.

After my proposal was accepted, my colleagues and I gathered thousands of twigs from the woods around my studio and hand washed each of them individually. Working closely with a metal fabricator, I built an iron armature, and then wove the twigs carefully over it. Before I did, though, I planted a young vine in the center of the piece as a reminder that new beginnings grow from the heart of tragedy.

Perhaps ironically, just days after completing “Flood Aftermath; Rebirth” and installing it at Saunders Farm, Hurricane Irene devasted the northeast with heavy winds and torrential rain. How could any of the pieces in the show have survived, I wondered. When the storm passed, I rushed to the farm, and found the sculpture unmoved, untouched, simply a part of the landscape. Little birds had taken refuge in it. In the shining field still muddy from the rain, it looked more alive than ever.

As I went from surveying the damage to enjoying the day, one of the show's other artists passed by. He told me that even as he'd been by himself finishing his installation, he felt there was always a kind of spiritual presence with him. He said it was as if “Flood Aftermath; Rebirth” had a soul. His response has been shared by many who have seen it since then, with one of the kindest compliments coming from Erik Arctander, one of the project's directors, who told me “your art really represents the best of our vision.”

No doubt, as time and the elements perform their cycles of erosion, the twigs that I so carefully arranged will be rearranged and rewoven. The vine will grow through the twigs and wrap around them, in a sense creating its own, new sculpture. Through this process of decay and growth, “Flood Aftermath; Rebirth” will continue to express the hope and courage of those who have lost all and must rebuild. It will continue to remind us of a piece of our shared history that might otherwise be forgotten.

This has certainly been an experience for me, and a lesson. Thank you to everyone along the way.

For more information about the Farm Project and Collaborative Concepts, see http://collaborativeconcepts.org/exhibits.html

To read the New York Times' write-up of the Farm Project: http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/28/nyregion/collaborative-concepts-farm-project-2011-in-garrison-ny.html