Beachcombing last week held some interesting, if sad, finds. Though not officially announced by Florida authorities, red tide has been making an impact throughout Florida's coastal waters in the last few weeks (perhaps longer). Red tide is an algal bloom thought to be caused at least some of the time by human activities, I suppose this to mean dumping of waste water high in nitrogen and other nutrients into our water systems. This feeds a population explosion of algae, some species of which contain potent neurotoxins, which can cause mass deaths of fish and other wildlife. In really serious blooms it can affects humans as well, usually on a respiratory level, or through shellfish consumption. Because of this problem coupled with a few big storms, dead fish littered the high tide mark. Before I became I aware of this news, I thought it very odd that birds and crabs seemed largely uninterested, whether they were fully satiated or knew there to be something dangerous about the feast I do not know.
I found myself taking close shots of their gaping mouths, so alien and so vulnerable.
2 comments:
Just coming from Mien’s blog looking at her singing clay-creatures to find more open mouths, but these are terryfying, esp. the one with several rows of scary teeth visible. Their last song a lament. Hadn’t heard about red tides before, was intrigued by the name and looked up your link and the photograph there reveals something that looks beautiful, and yet is so dangerous and destructive.
Also looked up your Bone Mother, beautiful, simultaneously strong and soft and vulnerable. Those round breast-like shapes, nurturing, but then the almost precarious standing of the sculpture like a ballerina in pointed-toe shoes. And a growing towards the sky. Wished I could go around her, see her from all sides.
Intrigued by this building up in plaster-process. How do you do it?
hi Erin, these fish pictures are rather difficult to look at. fascinated by the mouth, especially what looks like endless rows and rows of teeth but feel too queasy to look at it for long.
so very curious of what you'll be sending me! i still can't quite get over how you thought to send me something. just the thought of it makes me happy already. :).
glad you're getting over your cold and probably busy making things these days, right? wish i could take a plaster sculpture class from you. ever since i saw your spun experiments plaster work, i see plaster in a whole new light.
Post a Comment