Client: Rauschenburg Residency

Overview

In a few hours, more than cubic meter of soil was removed with a shovel and pick at the Robert Rauschenberg estate to discover the level of the water table. A concrete stake is installed to mark the water table in May 2015.

Goals

During May 2015, the Robert Rauschenberg residency was dedicated to the "Rising Waters Confab" that brought 20 creative people together to act regarding rising sea levels. A series of artworks, theater and writings were developed for the 22 acre estate. Many of the artworks, like "Digging for the Water Table," will be repeated around Florida and the world.

Process

The dialogue among the artists, scientists and writers at Rising Waters Confab led to the necessity to find the actual water table. A rising water table, not the flooding, will be the first natural result of global warming leading to the abandonment of the island. The rising water table will cause failed storm water systems, failed sewers and dead trees as the brackish water enters the root zone.