Blue Sea Lavender
Blue Sea Lavender (2009) was a series of events and performances in Maine based upon a mythical plant. The one-day event explored the loss of species diversity in the Gulf of Maine mediated through the narration of Blue Sea Lavender who has “lost my children, my family, my community, my home.” The event included consecutively singing Puccini's Vissi d'arte in a public preserve over a six-hour period. The day before, large drawings of the mythical plant were created on the sand of two local preserve parking lots using branches, rocks and water, knowing that cars would destroy the drawings, as people have destroyed many species across the earth.
The event was a sequence of performances during the one-day “site-specific" show curated by Pat Nick on August 19, 2009. A subtheme of the show was the celebration of recently installed wind power turbines on Vinalhaven Island to serve the Fox Islands.
Blue Sea Lavender Date: 2009 Size: 20” x 20” Materials: Drypoint printDescription: Created for the Site Specific exhibition curated by Pat Nick, Vinalhaven Island Maine.
Blue Sea Lavender detail on Echoes of the Islands Date: 2009 Size: 8’ x 5’ x 3’ Materials: Granite rock and casein paint slurry of ultramarine pigment and buttermilk powder, on two sculptures previously created by Aviva Rahmani. Description: One of five temporary installations on the topic of species loss for the Site Specific exhibition. Located at the Vinalhaven Ferry Terminal, Vinalhaven Maine. Photograph by Aviva Rahmani.
Blue Sea Lavender detail at Lane's Island Date: 2009 Size: 70' x 45' Materials: Branches, rocks and casein paint slurry of ultramarine pigment and buttermilk powder. Description: One of five fragile temporary installations on the topic of species loss for the Site Specific exhibition. Located at Lane’s Island Preserve Parking Lot, Vinalhaven Maine. Photograph by Aviva Rahmani.
Blue Sea Lavender detail at VHLT Date: 2009 Size: 85' x 40' Materials: Casein paint slurry of ultramarine pigment and buttermilk powder in sand. Description: One of five fragile temporary installations on the topic of species loss for the Site Specific exhibition. Located at Vinalhaven Land Trust parking lot, Vinalhaven Maine. Photograph by Aviva Rahmani.
Provenance:
Stills from Blue Sea Lavender were shown in the following exhibition: Blue Sea Lavender for Site Specific curated by Pat Nick, New Era Gallery, Fog Gallery and other locations on Vinalhaven Island, ME, 2009.
Publications:
Duncan, Jamie. “Contemporary Art That Beautifully Raises Awareness” ecosalon.com http://ecosalon.com/contemporary-art-that-beautifully-raises-awareness/ posted January 23, 2016.