tides
Project on Anjwa Island, South Korea
plastic bowl, clay shards (28 x 28 x 14 cm)
6 photographs (30 x 45 cm), circular platform 280 cm in diameter
6 photographs (30 x 45 cm), circular platform 280 cm in diameter
The region on the south and south western coast of South Korea was once famous for its pottery and today one can still find shards of ancient and more recent pottery washed to the shore. Walking along the coastline of the island I collected clay shards of different ages to “reconstruct” an ancient clay jar on top of a contemporary plastic bowl, which has come to replace the traditional bowls in households and markets today. The jar is assembled like a mosaic, with the single parts loosely fitting together yet without hiding the fact that they were never one bowl but came from different vessels and ages.
Following the concept of the mosaic I constructed a circular platform on the edge of the sea which is submerged in high tides to arrange a still life of ordinary Korean dishes found in a deserted cottage nearby. When the tide came back some bowls were submerged, while others danced on the waves and then slowly disappeared into the open sea.