SNOW BEACH
Installation, (2019)
Installation at Uktus, Yekaterinburg, Russia for UnDark Festival 21-22 December, 2019.
Artist’s Statement: I have been working with sand since 2002, creating animation and sculptures that accentuate its unique qualities and metaphorical connections with humanity. "Snow Beach" explores the connection between sand and snow, as a touristic draw and economic resource. Using sand collected from beach re-nourishment projects along the eastern seaboard of the USA, I recreate the movement of the ocean waves, projecting them on the surface of man-made snow at the Уктус ski area in land-locked Yekaterinburg, Russia, drawing a parallel between the efforts of different societies to maintain recreation environments that are dependent on the ecological cycles of natural replenishment threatened by climate change. The location and atmosphere of the installation invites relaxation and play in an environment that is constantly under human influence.
Snow Beach installed at Uktus Resort on the darkest day of the year.
The work was installed in a small canyon where snow-making equipment was opperating day and night.
Projected from the top of the canyon onto the man-made snow, the animation replicated waves lapping the shores of a beach.
During the festival, the resort operated as a ski and snowboard recreation area for the nearby city of Yekaterinberg.
Despite -20C temperatures, locals enthusiatically visited the festival sites and interacted with the work by playing on the "beach".
Festival visitors with Yekaterinburg in the distance.
The sand used to make the animated waves was collected from Wrightsville Beach in North Carolina, a beach that must be replenished every few years by the US government to protect tourism interests and real estate values.
Likewise, as global temperatures affect winter snowpacks, snowmaking is a common sight at winter playgrounds like Uktus.
