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36.5
a durational performance with the sea

A series of durational performances lasting 12+ hours: low-tide to low-tide.
New York based artist Sarah Cameron Sunde (director of Lydian Junction) stands in the middle of a tidal bay as the water engulfs her up to her neck and then recedes, again revealing the mud.

Inspired by the 10.5 foot tidal shift on the coast of Maine, contemporary daily routines, the work of Knut Hamsun, Marina Abramović and leading climate adaptation experts, this time-based project considers our relationship to water as it shifts due to rising sea levels and the struggle to survive both as an individual and as a civilization.  

This work grew directly out of ideas we were exploring with Lydian Junction. Sarah was in Maine to work on the concepts for BORN FOR NOTHING. And then this happened...see below for the initial iteration photos and check out the project website for more:  365waterproject.org


Pilot Part 1: 
where: Bass Harbor, Maine, U.S.  
when:  August 15, 2013  (the day the artist turned 36.5)  
            11:04am – 11:52pm  (12 hours, 48 minutes)
11:06am
1:59pm
2:54pm
4:39pm
5:54pm high tide!
6:53pm
7:45pm
8:24pm
9:20pm
Sarah was in Maine at an artist residency to experiment with ideas for a large-scale multidisciplinary project she is creating with Lydian Junction: BORN FOR NOTHING investigates the contemporary relationship of art to suffering and sacrifice in late global capitalism, inspired in part by Knut Hamsun’s novel, HUNGER, in which a writer starves himself in pursuit of his work, and New York City’s current relationship to the sea-water that threatens to engulf us.

"On Monday, August 12, I was sitting on the rocks by a tidal bay, meditating on the themes in BORN FOR NOTHING.
The tide was rising and I marveled at how quickly the environment changed.
Rocks were being swallowed whole.
Oh, the strength of the moon!
  My foot was soon underwater and it looked other-worldly.
I imagined a human being in the middle of the bay, water slowly moving upward.
I imagined my own body being swallowed and then the water subsiding, leaving me bare.
It had to be done - this was urgent!
Thursday, August 15 was three days away.
It would be my ½ birthday – a perfect moment to measure time and begin this journey."
testing the depth of the water with a pole on Tuesday
testing the chair placement on Wednesday morning
testing the waters on Wednesday afternoon
the mud flats beneath chair at low tide
"waiter/wader/water service" brought liquids once an hour
"waiter/wader/water service" became more challenging as the day progressed
vitals and other important information hung on the wall of the barn
11:52pm dismount from chair
36.5 / phases (part 1)  was made possible with support from Mohawk Arts Collective and the entire gang at The Hamilton Project: Byron Asher, Dan Bourque, Jillie Mae Eddy, Paul Eddy, Sophia Holtz, Jenna Horton, Peter Gage, Karen Lamb, Elise LeBreton, Cherie Magnello, Jabu Mickle-Molefe, Ben Moniz, Liz Morgan, Nice Panit Chantranuluck, Brittany Parker, Dan Rogers, Andrew Simon, Maridee Slater, Jessica Smith, Liz Thaler, Luke Wygodny.
"While in the water in Maine, I realized that this project was the beginning of something
I made a commitment to myself to do the second iteration exactly six months later.
Then I got invited to Mexico, which meant this was possible..."
THE FUTURE 
This is only the beginning of this series.
"I plan to do this project in many parts of the world
with partners and collaborators - people who’ll stand with me.
With each iteration, 36.5 / phases will grow.
One small revolution with potential to change the landscape."
 
Contact Sarah directly if you want to be a part of that revolution: sarah@lydianjunction.com
Check out 365waterproject.org for more info about what is happening with this project now.
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