"Salt Moon" sculptures

December 21, 2023

The Ebb of a Spring Tide Salt Moons are salt photographs that pay homage to the immense power of water, the passage of time, the salt moon, and the life force that exists along a coastal edge.

The salt photographs in Ebb of a Spring Tide Salt Moons were made by allowing ocean salt to accumulate on large steel discs. They were photographed at intervals as the salt formations changed with the tides.

The photographs describe the East River's changing tides through a composition that captures the twice-daily rise and fall of the ocean. The moon's gravitational pull that governs the ocean's movements serves as a reminder of the delicate balance that exists within coastal ecosystems, and the water's movement serves as a marker of time.

My experience living in the lowest level of an apartment building that would regularly flood provided a direct connection to the cyclicality of the salt photographs. I felt like I was constantly surrounded by water and was then compelled to monitor the tides.

Kobo Abe's novel Women in the Dunes also continued to serve as a source for Salt Moons. Women in the Dunes explores the cyclical nature of repetition and the consequences of environmental change. Like the novel, Ebb of a Spring Tide Salt Moons captures the unyielding impact of sea level rise, as evidenced by the recurring cycle of water flowing and receding against a steel disc. Both works highlight themes of resilience, fate, and the struggle to resist the overwhelming forces of nature.

Spring Tide, 2023, 20 x 20 Salt Photographic Sculpture, Original