EARTHQUAKES

Seismic Swarm

2021  |  paper, wood, ceramic, glaze, steel, wax, paint, wood, bungee  |  60” x 108” x 4”

The impetus of this project came from survey maps that show earthquake fault lines in the San Francisco Bay Area that indicate all the schools, hospitals, and emergency services located directly over the active faults. The Hayward Fault, for example, is capable of producing a 7.0 earthquake over an area with hundreds of hospitals, schools, police, and fire stations. A recent study found such an event would cause an estimated 800 deaths, 18,000 injuries, and billions in damage.

In these works, the orange, yellow and red stars represent all those structures on the fault lines. These pieces operate as kinetic sculptures when approached. A motion sensor detects the presents of a viewer. It triggers a small motor to agitate the entire panel to simulate earthquake tremors, which causes the porcelain stars to tremble on their axle pins.