The Structure

I have relocated to the North Fork of Long Island, just a few miles from the eastern most point. My days are full of farm work in the sun resulting in sore muscles from long hours. But I am not one to simply crash at the end of the day. The biggest perk, and inspiration, to the location is the quick connect to the shores of the Long Island sound. With a bike or quad ride through the woods, the land opens up and tumbles down through thick brush to the rocky shore looking north to Connecticut.

I have created a few smaller pieces along the beach using the smooth rocks and their varying colors, but I wanted something big, something that wouldn't get snuffed out by wandering beach feet. I wanted to create something seen from afar and out of material that just as easily acts as a bench or a balance beam to others. 

A plan to camp on the beach as we ventured the psychedelic realm resulted in an epic art structure that was devised from a smaller attempt of a similar nature a few days prior. I attempted to build a structure that was just barely manageable by one person given the material found along the shore. Something that would be beyond the size and ratio of the average human. It started out well, but took time and ultimately lay unfinished until a few days later.

We relocated the planned piece closer to the water in hopes that time will slowly force the structure downwards and possibly back into the waters from where is slowly came. The current and movement of the ocean brings driftwood in some massive sizes. Along the rounded pebbles one can balance along smooth surfaces of trees that have gently come to rest amid the boulders. There was branches, telephone poles, railroad ties, and even christmas trees all weathered by the wind and the salt water.

We scoured the coast for wood that seemed far too large for us to move and moved it. Using wedges, levers, and slow rolling shoves we guided the individual pieces into the water where they instantly became maneuverable under the buoyancy. The salt water was cooling as the sun warmed our tiring bodies. We then used similar techniques to move the pieces up the beach and props to get them into place. We constantly removed and replaced pieces as we discovered more, which built the base much bigger than we thought possible.

We worked into the night and finished beyond sunset placing the final pieces as the stars began to appear. We stood back to view the accomplishment, but could barely make out the silhouette. Our brains buzzed long into the night as we rocked in hammocks until sleep took us away. 

The dimensions are still to be measured, but the final photograph shows the scale with my wonderful wife sitting alongside. I estimate the height to be almost 20 feet and the base roughly 15 feet by 17 feet.