Bayscapes

Visible from our home in the hills above Silicon Valley, the San Francisco Bay coastline reveals an otherworldly mosaic—a fractured geometry of reds, oranges and whites. The scene is the unintended art of 150 years of industrial scale salt mining destined for industrial kitchens, dining tables and icy roads throughout the U.S.  Evident throughout are signs of a fading, feeble industry: teetering wood sluice gates to channel water; rusting rail structures once used to move cars from west to east; and front loaders still pushing saline mounds toward the horizon.

The images are printed on imperfect Japanese papers at substantial scale and in full and true color, to capture the spectacle of the environs.  The largest piece in the exhibit is an assemblage of two related images framed to heighten the dialogue between the mechanical extraction of salt and the salt products for human use. 

Bayscapes documents this surreal, almost alien landscape as the "tide" turns. A community driven restoration project is actively working to transform acres of salt evaporation ponds back into tidal marshlands and restore native habitats. We intend that these images of the fragility and desolation garner stronger support for restoring what was lost, and fostering a newly vibrant era for the San Francisco Bay.