|
 Words
from the Artist ...
?The Cleanup, working with the volunteers and the wonderful
team at the Alice Ferguson Foundation, were beautiful experiences.
What I found so special about working on this sculpture was
the incredible intention of everyone who helped put it together
and contributed to making of this sculpture. It was truly
a shared experience, which is the only way change can really
happen? The Water-Molecule Dream Catcher is really an icon
for the world?s Dream of Clean Water!? Mara Haseltine
Water-Molecule Dream Catcher:
Mara G. Haseltine, an artist and environmentalist, created
the ?Water Molecule Dream Catcher? for the 19th Annual Potomac
River Watershed Cleanup that occurred on March 31st and April
1st, 2007. Inspired by nature and the natural sciences, "The
Water-Molecule Dream Catcher" is a site-specific sculpture
constructed at Alice Ferguson Foundation's Hard Bargain Farm.
It celebrates the effort of all of the volunteers and the
beauty of the water in a ritualized way in which the volunteers
could participate in the creation of the sculpture.
The sculpture is shaped like a cross section of a water molecule,
with a large central oxygen atom flanked by smaller two hydrogen
atoms. The Potomac River is not an isolated system, but connects
to the living ocean. The shape of this sculpture is an homage
to the marvelous chemical which connects all of life on the
planet.
Cleanup volunteers saved pieces of trash that were lightweight
and colorful. Plastics and styrofoam eventually break down
into tiny particles that not only pollute the Potomac River,
but our oceans as well, and eventually make their way into
the living bodies of marine life. As volunteers brought their
special items of trash they had collected directly from the
Potomac Rover shoreline during AFF?s annual Spring Cleanup,
the artist attached those pieces to the webbed section of
the dream catcher.
The incredible range and variety of the trash that came out
of the river in just three hours was astounding -- just the
tip of the iceberg
The crafting of the ?Water Molecule Dream Catcher? was inspired
by the incredible beauty of the Alice Ferguson Foundation's
land and gardens. Using natural materials from the land, the
structure's three hoops-are woven from Asiatic bittersweet
collected at the edge of the woods. Asiatic bittersweet is
an invasive vine from Asia that kills the trees, so pulling
some of it down did the trees a favor! The "dream catcher"
was supported by water-polished trees found along the shoreline.
On the morning of the annual Cleanup, the "feather" was made
from early spring-blossoming forsythia and bridal-wreath spirea
gathered in the AFF's garden that overlooks a beautiful valley
near the Potomac River.
The title "Water-Molecule Dream Catcher" originates from
the Native American tradition of "dream catchers" put above
infants? beds to catch nightmares in the webbed section, while
the sweet dreams flow through the center. The dream we have
is for clean, pure water.
It was especially wonderful to create a "dream catcher" on the
Alice Ferguson Foundation's land because of its rich history as
natural historic landmark of several Native American peoples.
More Photographs on Next Page |
