Sand Trees

sand trees4

sand trees3

sand trees2

sand tree1

These elegant ‘sand trees’ are unique to the low tide conditions of Doran Beach

As Ene and I begin to fabricate our relief sculptures for a system of watershed markers we’ve been commissioned to design for the City of Oakland, we’ve been returning to our local beach at low tide for research and inspiration. The way the sand behaves at a certain angle of incline, at very low tides, makes a lovely tree structure that micro-cosmically mimics the contours of drainage patterns constituting the local watershed.

mussels

mussels cluster on rocks alongside barnacles, starfish and anemone

beach flea

The Beach Fleas (Orchestoidea) are everywhere along Doran

To follow the progress of this wowhaus public art project, please click here and scroll down.

2 replies on “Sand Trees”

  1. The Sand Trees entry is spectacular as all of your work always is ! The mussels look quite delicious – did you eat any ? Keep up your fabulous work and very interesting updates.

  2. Thanks Ted. We did not eat any mussels this time, but have foraged them before. They are indeed delicious, and we’ve been reassured by an oceanographer friend that it’s a safe place to harvest, but they tend to require a lot of cleaning..

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