Ribbon Proposal for the 2020 Airport Public Art Program
"Make Yourself at Home" both Ocean and Stream concepts...
The most fitting style of Art for the San Diego Airport Arts Program is contemporary. My unique contemporary "Ribbons" are a perfect vecicle to represent important and timely concepts for the public to learn from-- while they enjoy viewing my beautiful water like colors, shapes, and transparencies.
A Public Art Proposal: "Make Yourself at Home... in Nature"
These Ribbons represent playful Ocean Waves... Suggested title: "Make Yourself at Home in my Shimmering Sea" Each large ribbon is 7.5 ft long. Ribbons can be added to extend vertical or horizontal dimensions.
The ribbons would highlight the ideals of the many various local San Diego Ocean conservation groups. I hope to engage with them to deepen this proposal and integrate their thoughts-- as well as the ribbons to be a fundraising opportunity for them.
Ocean Concept for Ribbon Wall Sculptures: Color Details
Luminescent Aqua and Teals, Foamy Greens, Deep Clear Blues...
Airport Proposal: Not a Strata View-- but looking down...
Just an example of another layout possibility. Just beginning to work this concept out. The ribbons would be much wider and work from dark at the top to white to sand at the bottom. At least part of the text is written in the sand. Or-- the entire text of the Love Letter from the Ocean could be written in a long horizontal format to flow with the direction of the traffic at the Airport.
The text in the simulated or real (sealed) sand reads: "Love Me... Protect me." There are footprints in the sand.
A short explanation for this text addition is to add as many brain based concepts around this work to achieve the greatest impact. My choice of what seems like childish text has a mission:
To help the viewer to revive happy memories of being at the beach, which can be linked to the experience of viewing the Ribbons— and then linked to a future action: to act consciously to preserve the Ocean. There are likely few people who do not have at least one happy memory of a carefree day spent at the beach.
A Love Letter from your Ocean...
Come… play in my gentle waves…
Feel the warm Sun on your back.
Smell my salty breezes…
Dig and wiggle your toes in my sand.
Swim with my dolphins and seals and fish.
Splash and play in my joyful pounding surf.
See my transparent blues and greens from under water…
and marvel at my frothy bubbly whites.
Take a nap in the warm sun on my shoreline.
Not… a… care… in…. the world.
Take a walk on my beach.
Hand in hand with someone you love.
Leave your footprints in my sand.
Forget time— for just one day.
Let your children build sand castles.
And chase my birds.
And look at scuttling crabs and mussels in my tide pools.
Make Happy Happy Memories you will cherish for a Lifetime.
Above all— Love me. I am your Home in Nature.
Make yourself at Home with me as often as you can.
Care for me. Protect me. Love me… so that I can be there for your children,
and their children, and their children…
With Love,
Your Ocean
PS~ I am doing my job to support life here on Earth. Without me— you would perish. I am the maker of most of the world’s oxygen. But, I need your help. My fish are being taken away too quickly. My water is too acidic. My polar ice caps are melting. All my Sea life is suffering at the hands of careless man. Will you help? All Nations across the world must work together to save me.
Here are 5 things you can do…
Reduce or eliminate your use of plastic bottles
Don’t eat endangered species fish
support sustainably harvested fish
pick up litter… ( complete after discussion with various local conservation groups)
Another layout representing Ocean or Stream sections...
Just working out the flow of water. Note the S-curve of the lower ribbon. Imagine these 9" wide as 12-14" wide-- linked together to form 17 ft waves... many possibilities. These of course would work beautifully on a curved surface. Other possibilities: LED lighting-- from within under the transparency of the Ribbons. The ribbons could easily be shipped from venue to venue. Children's recycled art projects can be designed to integrate. Ocean sounds could be added to the display for the Airport.
A Simpler Public Art Proposal
For very limited budgets or spaces...
"Make Yourself at Home... in the Stream of Life"
This is a rough draft proposal for the 2020 Airport Arts Program-- to benefit the Escondido Creek Conservancy
The Theme would be Educational-- and can allow for participation by children:
- Basic concepts— The Stream of Life flows in a circle. Nature recycles everything, and not a drop of anything is wasted.
- The bottom strata of the Ribbon art representing rock, and then mud— with actual sized footprints of past and present inhabitants of the stream— from grizzly bears, to past native peoples, to deer and smaller animals. Foliage could be represented by imbedding actual photographs of leaves of the stream— (or possibly some actual leaf matter.) The nature of the way that the stream flows can be accomplished with more overlapping of the transparent upper layer. At the top of the stream is an arc of lighter ribbons which represent the water recirculating as clouds rain, etc.
- Accompanying text would be created with the help of the Escondido Creek Conservancy.
- Basically it would be similar to the Deer Antler text (attached) — emphasizing how nature recycles her nutrients and how the “Stream of Life” flows in a circle. Sounds of the rushing stream and bird songs are a possibility.
- Post industrial waste material can be utilized for part of the project, and there is a potential for actual sand or rock to be imbedded into the artwork, handprints of local children, etc. Replicas of native arrowheads can be imbedded.
- The text would educate and inspire stewardship for our precious waterways. After the completion of the exhibition, the “Ribbons” can be transferred to a permanent location, with a portion of the profit benefitting the Escondido Creek Conservancy. Or— the exhibit can travel to other locations first.
- Possibly— plaster casts of actual footprints can be attached for people to touch: grizzly bear, cougar, etc.
Details of the some of the possible Ribbon elements...
Each Ribbon could represent a part of the strata of the stream
- Bottom ribbons could have mud, and footprints of animals past and present. There could be a Native People ribbon-- rock art-- and arrowheads. Another ribbon could be the dappled sunshine through the sycamore canopy.
- Another ribbons could have birds and butterflies. Many possibilities-- depending on budget-- if additional funding could be found-- pre sales for permanent locations, etc.
A less complicated detail representing Ribbons to be made...
The bottom ribbons are perfect for Kid participation...
Kids Art Projects for the "Stream of Life"...
These are very quick projects-- "stick ons"
Kids simply color flora and fauna and insectavora with special crayons. The images are simply drawn onto contact paper-- which the kids can adhere to the bottom or top ribbons as an activity. If the display travels-- they can easily be removed. If the end purchaser does not want them-- the ribbons can be altered.
Another thought: Recycled plastic insects
A butterfly shown here... Kids can color and create-- and add to a single ribbon or..?
As a take off on the animal tracks ribbon-- another kid activity: Actual plaster casts of the animals past and present that are a part of stream life can be placed in front of the display for kids to touch and compare sizes to. Imagine "high-5-ing" a grizzly bear. Interesting facts like the largest grizzly bear in the State of California was (shot) in 1870 (?) nearby in Bear Valley or Valley Center. Lots of plaster casts could be added: cougar, deer, coyote, etc. Even a replica of the many indian arrowheads that have been found along Escondido Creek can be displayed-- so that kids can touch and enjoy.
In March of 2019-- while hiking near the Escondido Creek...
I found this deer antler that had just been shed. I was so impressed I wrote something about it and donated to back the Interpretive Center on the Escondido Creek at the Elfin Forest Recreational Reserve. https://elfinforest.olivenhain.com/interpretive-center/ I live just 5 minutes away. Here is the text that accompanied it:
- You are looking at one of the treasures of the Escondido Creek! And- a story of the amazing way that Nature recycles… This antler was once worn by a young buck. The buck sheds his antlers each year and grows new ones. Other animals find these antlers on the ground and chew on them for minerals. Animals such as coyotes, squirrels, mice, foxes, opossums, and even other deer chew on them— and the minerals such as calcium, phosphorus, magnesium and sodium become part of their bodies. Larger predatory animals such as mountain lion eat these smaller animals, and these mineral elements become part of their bodies. The Native people that once lived in this region hunted and ate these large and small animals— and again the elements were recycled.
- When these animals and people died, and fell to the ground— the elements were again recycled.
- Some of these elements became the soil, that then were taken up into the roots of flowers, plants and trees. The animals and man ate the plants and seeds of the trees. The elements became new bone and tissues of these animals— and the antlers of the young buck again.
- All of the web of life depends on the ability of elements to recycle from one form to another. So— you are looking at a miracle of Nature! Nothing is ever wasted.
- The elements in this antler have been a part of this land long before the native people came to live here about 8,000 years ago. The native people thought of this land along the Escondido Creek as Sacred. It is.
- This antler may contain the elements that were recycled though the creatures that once were abundant on this land: golden eagles, mountain lions, the brave and strong native people, even grizzly bears. Isn't that amazing?
