LAYSAN 1902

2016
Installation
resin, beach plastic from Midway Island, sand
4' x 8' x 4'

Laysan 1902 recalls a specific moment in time before humans irrevocably changed the native-dominated landscape of Laysan Island, and juxtaposes it with the current-day manmade disaster of floating plastic debris. Laysan Albatrosses, mistaking them for food, ingest pieces of plastic and feed it to their young, which eventually die. The installation invites audiences to contemplate the delicate, jewel-like eggs made of resin and beach plastic cast out of molds made of real Laysan Albatross egg specimens from the Bishop Museum's collection. The work hopefully impresses upon the vulnerability of birds and habitats of the Northwest Hawaiian Islands.

Installed at the Bernice Pauahi Bishop Museum in Honolulu, Hawaii.