Sea level rise awareness projects
Sea level rise is progressively impacting the Earth regardless of how strongly we curtail the use of fossil fuels. According to data compiled by the California Coastal Commission, San Francisco is projected to see a rise between 1.1 and 2.7 feet by 2050. Water levels can rise even higher when augmented by storms and periodic King tides (the highest naturally occurring tides), potentially causing significant damage to the coastline and coastal property.
In residence at MarinMOCA, one of the three sea level rise awareness installations I created was titled Aqua Metric Markers. They were five ceramic black and white striped obelisk forms modeled after coastal tide gages. The work was installed in the water in well-known public sites along the shoreline of San Francisco Bay and experienced by thousands of park visitors. The project’s purpose was to call attention to rising ocean levels, question our preconceptions of climate change, and help communities to visualize the potential impact on coastal environments. The aesthetic appeal of large-scale public sculpture that also gages tidal levels functions as a highly noticeable document of actual inundation occurring nearby commercial and residential developments.
During King tides, the public was encouraged to take photos of the flooded markers and post their images online through the California Coastal Commission’s King Tides Project app. This social media platform is a forum for a larger national and global conversation on the issue and a record of change for future generations.
The Marin Museum of Contemporary Art occupies three Buildings that were once the Headquarters of the decommissioned Hamilton Airforce Base. The architectural style, resembling a California Mission, was in keeping with the airfield’s Spanish eclectic style, with features such as reinforced concrete, stucco exteriors, hollow tile, and Mission tile roofs. The front facade is fashioned of California Churrigueresque concrete castings. The interior includes concrete beams painted to resemble wood.