The Invasion of Hull Cove

The Invasion of Hull Cove, Venice Biennale 2019
Approximately 144″ x 240″ x 8″
Size variable, custom removable wallpaper made from a photograph taken of invasive
Algae on Conanicut Island, RI. 800 laser cut steel protrusions.

Invasion of Hull Cove is influenced by an experience of walking on a Rhode Island beach after a storm and seeing pink, fleshy colored vegetation over a foot deep piled on the shore. It was beautiful, but my gut reaction was that it did not belong. I learned that it was a type of invasive algae that had come from Asia and can now survive in a New England climate. I immediately took photographs that were used to create the wallpaper.

I want viewers to be attracted to the beauty of my piece, but on closer inspection, realize it is camouflaging danger. Beauty is my tool to seduce the viewer into contemplating a troubling message.

My work combines my need to make art that is visually arresting with my passion for marine advocacy. I want to initiate a conversation about the peril we will face if we choose to ignore climate change. My installations and artworks polarize cause and effect, the past and the present, love and loss.