*August 1994: the birth of the ocean
show concept at Creative Space Place, New Brunswick
This first image (minus the poem), was created by New York artist,
Harriet Leonard before we even thought of the ocean show!)
Each piece created for this show measures 8 ft. H x 4 ft. W, and was done on heavy, transparent vinyl or acetate
in one case. The theme is the ocean and denizens of the deep. Here we have documented the show. There
were
twenty-six artists at the beginning but over the years, the show grew. The pieces came from Alaska, Georgia, New
Mexico, Arizona, Pennsylvania, New York, Illinois, Louisiana and New Jersey. The show converged for the first time in
November/December 1995 in an exhibition at Lincoln Center's Cork Gallery, 65th Street & Broadway, New York.
Our goal was to begin an experiment, opening doors and gathering
artists to see how far we could make this ocean roll. "Plastique-the Ocean Show" has visited hospitals,
libraries, senior centers, schools, and festivals.
At Broadway House For Continuing Care, CARE was not taken of the show,
and 11 of the pieces met with a mysterious, unexplained end.
What didn't disappear was removed and put into storage.
The summer of 1999, Rebecca Brenowitz from the Human Relations Council
in East Brunswick called VAL to invite us to come and see the 300 ft wide concrete wall in the woods fronting the old
Country Swim Club on Dutch Road, East Brunswick.
We saw in that bare
expanse of concrete, a chance for the dreams of all the artists in
the ocean show to rise again and expand. 37 sections 8' X 4', and
another 2 sections each approx 25 ft wide for murals. Each section
framed by a natural frame of bricks. We got an idea: to create
a customized fish brick and pass them out randomly to young and old
and welcome an additional 400 people into this grass roots
funded community
project.
.... then we began e mailing the Virtual Fish Brick and inviting
Digital Artists to paint the brick in Photoshop and e mail it back to us to join in a fish brick line up on the
Internet.
We also welcomed fish image designs via the Internet to be reproduced
at this end.
To see some of the
original artists' creations, click on their names below.
18 years later, and the pieces
are still returning to their respective owners!
With a story to tell....
