On The Edge: A Portrait of Our Coastlines

Ports and coasts are the connection to the larger world

Thames River Barrier, closed to protect London from flooding. *London, UK*

Storm surge gates with refineries on right *Rotterdam, Netherlands*

The recent discovery of the impending collapse of the Thwaites Glacier in Antarctica (predicted to happen within 10 years and raise sea levels by 65 cm) reminds us that human civilizations have suffered drastic, rapid reversals, especially when warning signs have been ignored.

From droughts that have destroyed vast empires, volcanic destruction like Mount Vesuvius and Krakatoa, and pandemics like Covid, which has destabilized the entire world economy, nature shows us time and again just how effortlessly it can humble all human endeavors.

Meanwhile the list of ferocious storms, wildfires, and droughts around the globe has become almost too numerous to count, and will inevitably continue to rise.

Gates of Thames River Flood Barrier. *London, UK*

Capsized automobile transport ship in the estuary of the Altamaha River. *Brunswick, Georgia, USA*

Climate change is predicted to increase storm activity and ocean rise, which will directly impact littoral areas. Natural shoreline features such as beaches, sand dunes, marshes and mangroves act as buffers to weather systems, pliably absorbing the impact of storms and high tides and thus protecting the hinterlands.

Coastal development usually replaces these features with man-made structures that fare less well in storms and
require expensive repair.

Ocean undermines beachfront condominiums. Isle of Palms, South Carolina, USA

There are essential dialogs about adaptation to this inevitable drastic change that our societies ignore and postpone at their peril.

Art can address and initiate these dialogs in a world where debate has been polemicized.

Container ships waiting offshore from during supply chain overload. *Los Angeles, California, USA*

“On The Edge” is an exhibit of image and video looking at coastal issues around the world. From the wild beauty to the destroyed landscape, comic to tragic, from sustainable to “on the edge”, this series explores ideas of current investment, future shock, and society-wide dialog.

There are many aspect to this series: the beautiful high-resolution images, video of the scene and the “making of” the images, and augmented content in the form of maps, data, and additional imagery.

Exhibition

Can be physical prints or projections
Prints can be shipped from New York or Berlin, or custom produced by the exhibitor and thus designed to fit the
venue.
Augmented content accessible via QR code or live link.

Editorial

High-resolution still and video files delivered online.
Augmented content can be delivered via internet.