Description
In this work, Mark Twain, I am thinking about our relationship to water, specifically how we interact with and rely on it. The design of the installation takes its form from sounding lines which were used to determine the depth of the sea or river. This made certain it was deep enough for ships to dock without getting grounded to the waters bottom. In the case of ferry boats in the Mississippi River in the southern United States, that height was twelve feet (3.65 meters) and called the “mark of twain”. This installation is hung at this height placing the viewer in a position as if submerged and looking up at the water’s surface. This altered perspective, offers the opportunity to contemplate the ways in which we all navigate the unknown. With this work I want to acknowledge the significant history of the Arsenale as a place where ships were built and bridge the nautical pasts of Italy and the southern United States.
