Artist Statement
Oceanic tides connect us all, whether we live in a coastal town, inland or even in the mountains, tides affect our lives. The amount of plastics in the sea has been increasing and is reaching scary levels of saturation and much of the floating garbage is at the mercy of the tides and winds. Nearly everything we use has some attachment to plastic, and unfortunately, time and time again those plastics end up in the sea. We have to stay vigilant about every plastic straw, bag, single use bottle and cap, cigarette and candy wrapper and so much more, that we drop on the ground, as it eventually ends up in the ocean harming ecosystems and the animals that live there.
It is our responsibility to gather all the rubbish you find anywhere on the ground, from hiking trails deep within mountain ranges to the busy street corner of S. Market and Vineyard St. in Wailuku. All it takes is a little bit of rain to transport every piece of litter to a drain, directly out to sea and then to be spread across our beaches. Here in Hawaii, we deal with more than just the ocean plastics we are creating, often trash is floating for years before washing ashore on our beaches. So it also our responsibility to pick up as much trash as we can every time you go to the beach, and to get involved with groups who organize beach clean ups.
The oceanic composition in “High Tides/ Low Tides” is meant to represent the change in tidal movements throughout the year. The moon phase is stuck on full to indicate the maximum effect of the process, and to strengthen the idea of the power caused by a full moon. The large red sun is layered over the ocean as a reminder that a large chunk of our trash is from Japan and other countries far across the sea. The subdued color palette is meant to represent the lost luster of plastics as they are heated in the sun and broken down in to micro plastics. The honu who is stuck in the lines and plastic represents us, people stuck in their ways and trapped by routine. The swimmer reaching to pull off the debris is a keiki, the literal representation of our future, and the idea of positive change that can be obtained.
Take Action
- Bring your own! Say no to single-use plastics.
- Eat as local as possible.
- Reduce your carbon footprint and energy consumption.
- Make sustainable seafood choices.
Vote for the environment and call your representatives.
- Educate yourself about what’s happening to our oceans.
