Project for a Bathymetric Globe
mixed media,
9” dia. 3D printed globe
2017
Today, there can be no subject more critically important for us to consider than ideas the oceans represent. Covering 3/4 of the earth's surface, the immensity of the waters of the globe are, in fact, unrepresentable; a fixed physical representation of their extent can only serve as a bare reminder, a point of reflection, on what we must all keep in mind for our climate-critical future.
A large-scale sphere, constructed as a shell about 2-3 cm thick, represents the oceans of the world as a continuous positive surface, with the continents removed as negative spaces. This is the exact opposite of the usual image of Earth, which typically emphasizes the continental land masses. Bathymetric data, showing the physical topography and contours of the ocean floor, is faithfully reproduced in three dimensions using actual mapping software available in the public domain.
The origins and development of Vancouver and its surrounding regions are historically and presently tied directly to its links with the oceans, from the original First Nations coastal settlements to later European explorations, right up to contemporary global migration. International commerce, resource economies, weather, climate, recreation, immigration...there is hardly any aspect of life in this area which does not thrive on the proximity of the oceans, and, as an ecosystem, have been essential for the origin and support of life on the planet. For us locally, they are the original reason we are here–we have all crossed oceans to make this our home.
The proposed sculpture is of monolithic aluminum construction, CNC machined, resting on a broad circular concrete base). For the oceans to be seen differently from usual images of the globe, giving it a new perceptual moment, the sphere choses its own resting attitude, with the mass and weight of the Pacific drawn to the bottom, and the continents of Eurasia open to the top. This out-of-kilter re-arrangement induces a moment of un-recognizability, when the familiar earth becomes once again strange to us, causing us to take a new look at where we are. Through natural and artificial lighting, its changing aspects will remind us of the ever-transforming condition of the oceans themselves, and our relation to them. Project for a Bathymetric Globe becomes a constant reminder of our insoluble link to the oceanic surround and our vulnerable planet.