Not long after we met in November 1999, Claudia Chapline asked us to contribute a piece for Re-vision, a show of environmental artworks for the headquarters of the Marin Community Foundation, Larkspur Landing. We had just begun to collect plastic from Kehoe Beach but had not yet forged our collaborative relationship. At that point, we had already gathered a bushel of bottle-caps and lids. With our combined experience arranging objects into forms, it was an easy next step to envision that the bushel of ubiquitous plastic drink caps in saturated colors could become something more. Stacked up concentrically with circles inside of circles, they started to look interesting beyond the individual items. When amassed together, the density of the colors made them seem playful—whimsically generous. Re-contexted in their sheer amount, the lids offered something attractive and on purpose.
Anticipating the exhibit, we visited the beach just to pick up lids and tops, gathering up the plastic with a not quite yet fully formed idea in mind. We were no longer simply cleaning the beach; we were curating as well as courting, courting the beach or each other? As we began to think about the show, our curiosity developed into a concept, and we decided to make something to celebrate our explorations of the shore. We were grateful to be offered an opportunity to exhibit our work together and after much aesthetic wrangling were pleased to present a trophy fish. Sea, time, fish, our place in history, a show-off piece.
March 27- June 29, 2000, our eight-foot long synthetic Marlin was placed in the main conference room of the Marin Community Foundation, where it became a focal point of the Re-vision exhibition and was used as a backdrop for snapshots to record the gatherings held there.
We were encouraged by the positive response to our “fish’ so we continued on with the collecting and making and showing. Now ten years hence, we revisit that re-vision and present an updated “Trophy Fish” in where you are... at the new Marin Community Foundation offices at Hamilton, March 22- July 10, 2010.
We are grateful to Claudia Chapline, the Marin Arts Council and the Marin Community Foundation for getting us started. We are grateful to Ellen Campbell, the Marin Arts Council and the Marin Community Foundation for keeping us going.
