Installation: Baker Beach Cave Flowers

Cave Flowers is a series of ceramic pieces, created as public art installations in hidden places. They are intended to create a moment of magic for the viewer, as he or she comes across the unexpected flowers in his or her environment. They can be either fired ceramics, left there to either be broken or taken or left for other; or they can be greenware/unfired ceramics, left with the intention that the environment will wash away the flowers.

These flowers were installed at low tide on Baker Beach in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area. They were buried in the sand just above the tide level. During their installation, I answered questions of anyone who approached me, but I did not approach anyone until they approached me. I intentionally did  not do anything to interact with the environment in which the flowers were placed, letting the entire environment (e.g. birds, people, dogs, waves) do what they would with the flowers.

Journal Notes:

7:51am – finally set up.  Surprisingly many people here.   I’d like to have the camera closer, but don’t want to move it.  I’ll have a better idea of how high the tides actually go next time. 

7:55 – First shot.  Water just came over.  Rocks clicking together in the surf are awesome sounding. 

8:00 – 2nd photo.  Lady with 2 dogs came by and admired them.  One of the dogs licked the solitary flower and made a sad face.  Apparently, art is pretty but not tasty.

8:05 – 3rd pic. Water starting to hit every 5th wave or so

8:10 – 4th pic.  Couple on walk looked at them but seemed kind of irritated by them.  Found the vid setting on the other camera.  Took 30 sec video.

8:15 – 5th pic

8:20 – 6th pic.  Fisherman nearby almost got in the shot.  Rocks are washing up through the flowers.

8:23 – Big wave knocked some over.

8:25 – 7th pic. Petals washing father up shore.

8:30 – 8th pic. Flowers being pulled out to sea.

8:35 – 9th pic.  Flowers full of water and sand.  When I walk over to take close ups, it’s hard not to fix them.

8:40 – 10th pic.  Almost got a fisherman again.  Odd conflicting feelings about wanting this to go fast and slow.  “Hurry up & show me what comes next!” mixed with sadness at seeing them go.

8:42 – 30 sec vid

8:45 – 11th pic.  More dogs, but these liked my blanket more than the flowers

8:47 – Guy throwing ball for his dog keeps tossing it about 6” away from the flowers

8:50 – 12th pic . Waves pulling more away.  Only two left standing.  Clay looks soft.

8:55 – Guy stopped to ask if this was for a photo class.  13th pic.  1 hour.

9:00 – 14th pic. Guy came back to tell me about ceramic classes inDaly City.

9:03 – took lame vid trying to capture the flower bodies rolling away in the surf

9:05 – 15th pic. Battery warning… uh-oh

9:10 – 16th pic.  Almost unrecognizable now.  Fav comment today  “So it’s like an Andrew Goldsmith kind of thing?”

9:15 – 17th pic. Can tell color changes in rocks from light.  No longer dawn.

9:20 – found some clay that fell next to the camera.  It is fully softened.  18th pic.

9:25 – Wave bent the flower over 19th pic.

9:30 20th picture.  Can hear rocks in the surf again.

9:35 – 21st pic.  Some pieces rolled back up.

9:40 – 22nd pic.  Jusst little nubs left.  Some tubes left, washed way to the right of the frame.

9:45 – 23rd pic.  Concerned about zoom.  Did I rezoom all the shots?

9:50 – 24th and 25th pic.  Felt like a 2nd… Tube washed up and washed away again.

9:54 – Wave finally caught me on a close-up.

9:55 – 26th picture

10:00 – 27th picture

10:05 – 28th picture

10:10 – 29th picture

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