I recently got an update from the Headlands Center for the Arts, a artist residency center located in Sausalito, CA. I was an artist in residence at the Headlands in 2005, and it is interesting to learn about current projects and events. This year a new Alumni New Works program was created, where past artists in residence could apply to do a project for a month.
One of the recipients of this program is Daniel McCormick, who is an environmental artist. In his recent projects, he has collaborated with scientists, conservation organizations, and regional regulatory commissions to create sculptural pieces that improve watersheds and locations of water.
McCormick is a former student of James Turrell and has a degree in environmental design from UC Berkeley. Some of his past work has been in the form of woven basket forms made of green willow and found materials that are placed in eroded gullies and on the banks of rivers.
These sculptures are designed to “fit into the curves of the streams and gullies where they fill with leaves and twigs, collecting sediment that would otherwise suffocate the salmon and steelhead eggs in their spawning areas.”
At he Headlands, he will be installing some innovative San Francisco Bay native oyster beds throughout the East Bay Regional Park System and Merritt Lagoon. By adding oyster beds, it is a way to help restore the bay’s ecosystem. Oysters have to be grown in the top third of the water, where there is sunlight and oxygen. After being installed, oyster beds need to be serviced in order to prevent algae growth which can kill the oysters. Project updates will be posted on his website.
Image Source:
http://www.headlands.org
Links:
http://danielmccormick.blogspot.com/