Graduate Work, BVA 2014
The Art of Sea Survival
As a sailor, a boat is the mediator for my oceanic experience. I am interested in the point of interaction and activity between hull and water as a liminal space. My practice has been informed by this very physical and unique experience of the ocean; I am attempting to extend, control and test this relationship through a series of kinetic sculptural/ installation works.
Through sailing, one develops a specific intrinsic knowledge base on which to draw for the parallel purposes of sea survival, self-preservation and in this instance, an arts practice. A sailor interprets the ocean through the feel of their yacht and the messages it sends. Sailors cut their fingernails short to heighten the sensitivity of their fingertips to the ropes in their hands and do not wear reinforced wetsuits in order to feel the vibrations of the hull beneath them. The information obtained through this responsiveness to a yacht contributes to their understanding of the ocean and their own physical negotiation within it.