Quality Water, Patapsco River

Proud to see my first public project up and accessible along the shores of the Patapsco River (I can see the stadium from here!). Diving into this process over the past few years has brought me closer to the Chesapeake- the wildlife, the land and the water itself. And the water itself is the focus of Quality Water in a lot of ways.

From the original Project Proposal:

Quality Water is a focus on the natural vibrancy of Chesapeake sea life and the waters in which they live. The implementation is heavily site responsive. The imagery will be determined from accessing the Patapsco River from Middle Branch Park, while collecting samples from the watershed. The content will be a fish pulled from the river, and the artwork will visually tell a story of the fish and the water itself where the fish was located.

This is illustrated through colors which are determined from water quality tests that are also pulled from the area. Utilizing vibrant and unanticipated colors alongside familiar imagery, I hope viewers feel encouraged to approach the work and learn more about why the colors are so unexpected. Doing so will ideally hearten the audience to think deeper about our complex relationship with the water and the aquatic life dependent on the water’s health.

Quality Water Sample: