SALVAGE

54’ x 52’ x 24’

Driftwood, Scrim, LEDs, audio component

2022

SALVAGE was an immersive, multi-sensory installation created for MadArt Studio in Seattle, WA. Drawing inspiration from the natural world and Seattle’s industrial maritime heritage, this monumental work included reclaimed driftwood, light, and sound compositions.

Upon entering the studio, viewers were confronted with a curving wave of enormous logs, recovered from Puget Sound by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineer’s M/V Puget, a debris recovery vessel. This sculptural form incorporated nearly whole trees that were carefully situated to span from floor to ceiling. Counterbalancing this heft and solidity, a second, translucent, soft sculpture extended from the building’s skylight, creating an inhabitable light well that glowed with the colors of dawn. The installation also featured an original audio score created in collaboration with composer Rachael Fasano. Field recordings of the Puget Sound, ferry crossings, wind, driftwood percussion, logging machinery, and vocal harmonies were woven into an 18-minute score that changed as viewers moved through the environment.  Low, resonant frequencies rumbled from inside the driftwood sculpture, which could be felt as well as heard. Emanating from the translucent light piece was a contrasting chorus of looping vocals and celestial organ sounds, paired alongside moments of stillness.

Seating was intentionally built into the form of the sculpture, inviting viewers to pause and reflect on concepts of transformation, renewal, and what we do with what is left behind. Responsive dance performances inside the installation by Cornish College of the Arts dance students were conducted throughout the duration of the project, culminating in a public choreographed performance.  

Photo credit: James Harnois, Images courtesy of MadArt Studio