PROCESS

When Collector was anchored to Willapa bay amidst oyster beds, it was loosely tethered to its metal and PVC foundation with nylon cord and aluminium attachments. While it was anticipated that the sculpture would eventually wear itself loose through the incremental rubbing of cord on wood and degeneration of aluminium from salt water, the question remained: how long would this take? The second unknown was the length of time it would take for large, edible oysters to grow on the surface of the sculpture. In response to these uncertainties, it was decided that the sculpture would not be removed until the oysters were large enough to eat. If it happened that the sculpture tore loose from its tether before that time, then that would be the end of its known history. Fortunately, the sculpture remained tethered long enough to cultivate, harvest and eat the oysters with the local oyster farming community. The long journey to the desert with the sculpture strapped to the front (then top) of the truck was punctuated with intermittent stops from law enforcement. A dark wall of dead insects accumulated on the sculpture during its journey. The dead insects coupled with the variety of crustaceans and seaweed on its surfaces, provided unusual sustenance for desert wrens.