Series Unnatural Decay Poplar no.1 (with ghost gear netting) 22" round x 3" Black walnut no.1 (with ghost gear netting and recovered gangions) 18"x20"x2" Sassafras no.1 (with ghost gear netting and recovered gangions) 15"x14"x1.5" (+6" variable) Cedar no.1 (with ghost gear netting) 13"x11"x1.5" what should be decay that takes place naturally in the environment has been supplanted by plastics. in this case a tree slice, normally is broken down by mosses and fungus, are dripping instead with look-alikes created with ghost gear netting dredged from the ocean floor in the atlantic off cape cod. the fiber has been colored in my studio with natural and fabric dyes. wood slices were sustainably harvested from dead trees which were destined to become firewood and saved for their beauty in pennsylvania.
About:
Recovered Ghost Gear NETTING:
Materials info: Accidentally dredged and retrieved ghost netting, fully documented and collected in collaboration with the Director of Marine Fisheries Research at the Center for Coastal Studies, Provincetown, MA.
For geodes and fungi work: After cleaning and dying the netting, the knots are cut out as I work the fibers, leaving individual pieces of line no more than an inch and a half long (and under 2mm in diameter).
Data:
Retrieval Coordinates: 42° 10′ N 69° 52′ W
Retrieval Vessel: F/V Donna Marie (Groundfish Trawler/Scallop Dragger out of Provincetown)
Water Depth: approx. 100 fathoms/183 meters/600 feet
Source: pre – Magnuson – Stevens Act* foreign, most likely Russian, fishing net, age at least 50 years
*Prior to the enactment of the MSA in 1976, international waters began at just 12 miles from shore and were fished by unregulated foreign fleets. The MSA extended U.S. jurisdiction to 200 nautical miles and established eight regional fishery management councils with representation from the coastal states and fishery stakeholders.