ROPE

crisp and cold, moderate waves, green hued ocean, bright blue sky

Today I harvested fishing rope. I say harvested because there is so much of it that it binds, gags, and seems to grow out of the rocks and sand. The unbound rope I most often find in the form of discarded knots. Thousands of them wash up with every tide and after discussing the phenomena with many sea savvy folk, I learned that they are cut off by fishermen and throw overboard.

I know fisherman. My great uncle from Sicily was a commercial fisherman whose tales and troubles and the simple reality of fishing I have known my whole life. Yet, it is hard for me to reconcile the debris they are responsible for with the the good nature of those I know. I understand the harsh conditions at sea. Untying knots is time consuming and difficult in the cold so, cut away, I say. But please don’t through the knots overboard!

Like so much of the beach debris I work with, the rope has beauty when it is no longer an environmental threat. I have been inspired by the knots and gnarls of rope to create a piece of work that transforms ocean pollution into art while bringing to light the problem of fishing debris. My hands though are paying the price! I never knew about rope splinters- this stuff is harsh and hard and I have more than a few blisters to show for my work!