In preparation for the grand reopening of the natural sciences galleries at the Oakland Museum next June we presented our PowerPoint, Indra's Net to the docents and staff.
Indra in Hindu mythology lays an infinite net over the universe where at every juncture a jewel hangs reflecting all other jewels.
Kehoe Beach in the Point Reyes National Seashore is our jewel on the net. Since 1999 we have focused our efforts on a single point, on just 1000 yards of beach. We have cast Kehoe Beach as the stage for a drama that explores ideas of (dare we say it without irony in this postmodern world?) love and beauty. This pinpoint of land is an exemplar of the planetary problem of plastic pollution and the site of our ongoing investigation of geology, botany, biology, along with the history and development of polymers and plastic. One interest leading to another to another as a perfect example of how everything is connected to everything else.
The creative process is at the core of how we think and what we do. In our presentations we incorporate jokes and poetry and great visuals. For the art docents we spoke about our some 40 years of experience as studio artists and the aesthetic influences that shaped our Cordell Bank installation. For the history docents we told stories about some of the individual pieces of plastic we have found and how we discover their origins. For the natural science docents we talked about Kehoe Beach and its proximity to Cordell Bank.
The docents appreciated our talk/slideshow and afterwards we got to take a look at our plastic display. We had not seen the install completed. We are going to add a few more bottle islands to the ceiling making a better connection between the table-top display and the ceiling and have to add a few more stories to the booklets. But all and all we are THRILLED!!!
The Oakland Museum has been under construction for a long time – when the natural science area is completed It will be the first time in five years that all areas of the museum will be open. Plan to visit the art, the history AND the nature on June 1, 2013.
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