Ebb of a Spring Tide
Ebb of a Spring Tide
This exhibition of new sculptural works by Mary Mattingly explores our relationship to coastal ecosystems and the shifting nature of rivers and water lines.
FREE
Socrates Sculpture Park
May 20, 2023 to September 10, 2023
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Exhibition details

The exhibition will feature a 65-foot living sculpture titled Water Clock, fabricated on-site in response to the Park’s unique waterfront location along the East River. This monumental, scaffold structure, which includes edible vegetation, mirrors the cityscape across the East River, highlighting the human impact on New York City’s riparian zone. The clock’s pulse will be kept by water from the East River moving through tubes on the structure, a reminder of a life support system and the delicate balance of coastal ecosystems.

It will also include a Flock House, expanding on the artist’s ongoing series of mobile, self-sufficient living systems that challenges notions of home and community. Designed to be adaptable, this dynamic structure will act as a growing, making, and eventual living space to fit the evolving needs of the project. Visitors will have the opportunity to engage with the Flock House through a series of workshops and activations throughout the summer.

Additional Details

At Socrates, as for so many other areas in the City, the land is under constant and direct threat from the impact of climate change. Central to the work is the way it refers to the shifting nature of rivers and water lines, and how the East River is not just a line on a map but an integral part of a larger water cycle. For all visitors the work will bring awareness to and highlight the impending threat of sea level rise in this neighborhood. At the same time it will seek to inspire hope that we can prepare for a changing world through innovative design and a restorative relationship with nature.

Location

Socrates Sculpture Park
32-01 Vernon Boulevard
Long Island City, NY 11106

Image: Water Clock, 2023 / photo by Scott Lynch