Several years ago, I was driving along the coast road, taking my time in the heavy fog. It was early morning, a week or two after Christmas, and the road was quiet and disconcerting. I was already on edge when I rounded the corner and saw a crowd of people standing in the water, huddled together in grey misery. What on earth? I pulled in and the sea people resolved into trees, but that didn’t make sense either. A forest rising from the water, wreathed in fog?
I had stumbled upon Transplant, an art installation by Barbara Nealon and Tara Kennedy. The artists had planted hundreds of Christmas trees on the beach, and the tide had come in and surrounded them. It was a magical thing: a kind of Birnam Wood encounter, and I was grateful to have experienced it.
I admire artists who create work on such large canvases, exhibit in such a democratic way. There was another art installation on the beach recently. I missed it (what was I thinking?) but enjoyed learning about it in this video.
Hope you enjoy, too.
Aileen Hunt 