Rivers Edge

Art Forum - September 2013
Guy Nordenson and Catherine Seavitt: River's Edge

This was a rather large article discussing Hurricane Katrina and Superstorm Sandy; however, I was particularly interested in the 2011 Tohoku earthquake and tsunami in Japan. 

The article contained a photograph of the 'destruction caused by the tsunami, coast of Sumatra' and I found it interesting how a once inhabited area was now deserted and had disintegrated into nature and become a part of the water or mountains in the background.

Whilst reading the article I came across a section focused on the 2011 Japan disaster which mentioned tsunami stones: ‘the most poignant realisations in the tragic aftermath’. Tsunami stones are ‘individual stone markers that appear along the coastline of Japan, some almost six hundred years old. A typical inscription reads: “High dwellings are the peace and harmony of our descendants. Remember the calamity of the great tsunamis. Do not build homes below this point.” 

The large rock sculptures are now withered away by the elements and have started to be engulfed by the surrounding nature similarly to the remnants of the disaster locations and yet the message in these rocks remains as clear as the destruction sites themselves. I think the message of the rocks is just as or more powerful, as in-comparison to the destroyed towns these sculptures are tiny yet they give the same message and will probably create awareness for many centuries to come.   

… Storms have battered them; they have lain, sometimes for months on end, becalmed. There is a residue even if they fail- James Salter

Barbara Vinken: Earrings

Frieze Issue 11 - September/October 2013
Barbara Vinken: Earrings

This piece is created by selecting 'an item from your living or working environment, which is of particular importance for you’. Barbara Vinken has selected her ‘favourite thing’ a pair earring which are from the ‘shiniest, brightest, hardest crystal glass that is to be had in this world’. 

I particularly liked this piece, as at first sight it seemed like a strange mix of smooth marbles and roughened rocks/pebbles. However, Vinken describes these as a ‘dewdrop’ in which ‘light flashes every now and then’ enabling you to see ‘the world … in minitiare’ which ‘capture the perfect moment’ similarly to a mirror yet ‘the perfect beauty … is already vanished in the next moment’.

I think the minuscule scale of this piece is fundamental to its importance, as the tiny object captures the entire scene around you, allowing you to see both in front and behind you at the same time. However whilst looking at the front your vision is limited, whereas in the reflection you can see from the sky to deep into what appears to be a lake.

I also like the time constraints of the piece as the reflection constantly changes depending on the time of day and even if the earrings were to remain there and documented over a long period of time, no reflection would be the identical to the next. 

“The further back you can look, the farther forward you are likely to see” – Winston Churchill