RECLAMATION

Reclamation is a body of ceramic sculptures that juxtaposes abstract oceanographic forms with stark industrial forms. The project is an exploration of the Salish Sea, a waterway that spans the Canada/US border and was named for the Coast Salish peoples. Such recognition creates awareness of this marine ecosystem and its cultural significance in the face of growing industrial contamination. This installation is a visceral representation of the tension between the industrial world and the natural world when projects such as the Enbridge pipeline threaten our coastal ecosystems at the same time that nature is reclaiming many older industrial projects.

Reclamation consists of more than 200 abstract ceramic forms. Hand-built bulbous and tubular oceanographic forms stand next to tight, uniform, industrial forms. The installation layout mimics that of organic objects washed up in piles on a beach, or swaying in a tidal swell. The 100-component grouping of anemone-like forms is mounted on the wall like a large swath of marine specimens. Smoke-fired stoneware, stained porcelain, cracking rust and cratered glazes reflect the natural qualities of clay, their charred bone-like rawness reminiscent of natural decay and weathering.