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<br /> façade and ranging from 5ft to 2 ft high and extending up to 3 ft out from the wall,the ten rings supported the 60+foot-
<br /> long fabric dragon form. Created using Carolina blue and white stretch-knit fabric,the dragon chrysalis was suspended
<br /> between the ten rings and illuminated from within.
<br /> Both the FRANK gallery and Kidzu children's Museum supported the installation by posting the scheduled Salon on
<br /> their websites. The fact that the work was up on the exterior of the building on Franklin Street obviously attracted the
<br /> attention of the community. The N&O,Chapel Hill edition also printed several installation photographs and the final
<br /> completed photo on its front page. Since the work was well received,its intended installation period was extended from
<br /> one month to almost three months.
<br /> 10.Oxbow+Water as a Mirror of Self
<br /> Site-specific public art installation—Cary Art Center
<br /> •Completion Date:June/July 2014
<br /> •Media:Bamboo,brick,stone and sand,PVC pipe,knit fabric,ceramic vessels,wooden structure,paint,
<br /> and internal lighting system
<br /> •Location:Cary Art Center,Cary,NC
<br /> •Dimensions:5 ft(H)x 11 ft(W)x 29 ft(L)
<br /> "Art can build awareness, the first critical step in changing our collective story from one that exploits and destroys
<br /> nature for the benefit of humankind,to one that coexists with the natural world,nurturing and valuing it,and all of its
<br /> life-giving properties(R.J.Rosenberg,Art in Action:mature,creativity and our collective future,2007)."
<br /> Modern Western artists,and more specifically environmental sculptors,living in a period of relative economic comfort
<br /> and socio-political"truth,"often are the first to spotlight and bring to the forefront not only social ills but more recently,
<br /> ecological themes through their artworks. But whether overly activist or not,environmental sculptors can teach us
<br /> about the vast and rich web of life through works of art that celebrate, reflect, interact, or protect our natural and
<br /> associated cultural resources by providing the impetus for action. Within our lifetimes, clean drinkable water will
<br /> become the new gold standard,replacing oil and gas as our most precious resource. As a global society,we continue to
<br /> degrade this most essential of natural resources through hydraulic fracturing(fracking),depletion of deep aquifer levels,
<br /> overflows of hog waste logoons,coal ash storage ponds,nuclear power plant cooling waters,salt water migration,large-
<br /> scale deforestation, and large scale residential and business development that takes away rainwater infiltration
<br /> opportunities,etc.,etc.
<br /> As the earth heats up,populations continue to increase,and the pollution of our natural resources continues to go on
<br /> unabated,quality water will become scarce. Those communities that have or control water usage will become the new
<br /> world centers and global powers. We have already become weaned away from drinking water from our household taps
<br /> and purchase our drinking water in bottles. Even the storage bottles are made of plastic,whose manufacture results in
<br /> byproducts that have been stored in dumps and landfills that allow the chemicals (pcbs) to pollute the underground
<br /> sources of our drinking water.But rather than depicting a gloom and doom scenario,through his artworks,Michael Roy
<br /> Layne suggests ways in which people can correct (aesthetic engineering) ecological problems. Oxbow + Water as
<br /> Mirror of Self spotlights the importance of preserving clean, pure water through a greater understanding of how
<br /> topography influences rainwater flows and the effect simple human actions can have in protecting this vital natural
<br /> resource. The quality of our water is a reflection of the value we hold for ourselves for future generations.
<br /> The white fabric form depicts a landform uphill from a meandering stream with ridges (water dispersing)and swales
<br /> (water collection). Illuminated from below, the darker lines where the fabric pieces are sewn together depict the
<br /> movement of water droplets during a rainstorm event.An understanding of these water collecting and water dispersing
<br /> landforms can help when deciding upon how best to slow down water and allow it to infiltrate rather than create storm
<br /> water surges, which can pollute the water resource through erosion.The vertical stand of bamboo culms depict the
<br /> growth patterns of along a stream corridor where the thickest and highest plants find a home during dry periods where
<br /> the water is concentrated at the water collection points(swales). Again,planting trees,shrubs or groundcover along the
<br /> uphill side of a stream can also slow down water(reducing pollution causing erosion)while helping to clean the runoff
<br /> before it hits of the stream.The curvilinear form of bricks which hold the bamboo culms can not only be a man-made
<br /> bank-holding mechanism,but the bricks can be made using coal ash,which reduces the amount of ash that may flow
<br /> into adjacent streams.The stone spiral patterns depict the importance of structural elements within a stream(stone)to
<br /> not only slow down the water flow but to create opportunities for aerating the steam, a valuable attribute to healthy
<br /> water. The spiral forms also represent the spiritual nature of water as one of the five Platonic elements and water's
<br /> MICHAEL ROY LAYfE• LEGACYWORKS•2015-16 Fell Artist Project Grant AppRcallon•Artwork Sample List•Hovomber 30.2015 Page 4
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