La Casa de Artista en Nautilus Lanzarote- que bonita ¿no?!
I spent the morning organizing the rope I had found on the beach in Spain near San Sebastian. I had carried it with me for 2 weeks at this point, and throughout that time I had almost become accustomed to its fragrant ocean smell. I’m sure my Spanish rental car will never smell the same. But I had managed to bring it here to Nautilus Lanzarote, where I finally had the time, space, and resources to do something with it. Stretching out the bundles of line, I was pleased to see just how much I had- about 100m worth. Lots of potential there.
A knotted mess of hooks and line I found on a beach in Spain. I spent 4 hours untangling it (video piece to come). Stay tuned to see what this line becomes...
Leda from Nautilus was kind enough to coordinate a kayak excursion for me with her friend Ismael, a Barcelonian who had lived on the island for 12 years. He used to be a forensic scientist but grew tired of the city and a desk job. “Fortunately,” he said, “My wife is cool and not too into shopping, so we moved our lives out onto this desert island in the Atlantic to be around nature.” He was a cool cat and he knew a lot about the island’s geological formations, which essentially were the result of a series of large volcanic eruptions around 2 million years ago. My Spanish is a bit slow, but I learned a ton.
Ismael from Kayaking Lanzarote explaining the geology of the island
After an hour or so of paddling along the lava cliffs, darting in and out of craggled sea caves, we jumped into the turquoise water over an ancient lava flow. It was a surreal seascape; you could imagine the lava slowly roiling forward as it gushed out of the Earth. This moon-like formation was interrupted here and there by 1-foot diameter jet black sea urchins with delicate, needle-like spines.
Back on the kayaks Ismael told me how Diadema antillarum, or the long-spined sea urchin, had invaded Lanzarote in recent years- eating too much algae and damaging the balance of the reef ecosystem. There were efforts to extirpate the invasive urchins, but Ismael’s gesture of hopelessness made it clear that they had been unsuccessful so far. My mind jumped to an old sculpture I made in San Francisco titled Urban Urchin, made from welding rods and plastic I found in the trash, and decided that I would keep my eyes peeled for materials to tell the Diadema story here.
Back on the kayaks Ismael told me how Diadema antillarum, or the long-spined sea urchin, had invaded Lanzarote in recent years- eating too much algae and damaging the balance of the reef ecosystem. There were efforts to extirpate the invasive urchins, but Ismael’s gesture of hopelessness made it clear that they had been unsuccessful so far. My mind jumped to an old sculpture I made in San Francisco titled Urban Urchin, made from welding rods and plastic I found in the trash, and decided that I would keep my eyes peeled for materials to tell the Diadema story here.
Urban Urchin (2012). Let’s see if I can create a sister piece for Lanzarote…
Nothing is more inspiring to me than exploring a new place with a cool local expert who can share stories and insights about the ecosystem. Such conversations have inspired some of my favorite artworks in the past, and I look forward to drawing inspiration from the island, the people, and the materials I find over the coming month. So much gratitude to the Nautilus Lanzarote staff for the warm welcome and incredible opportunity they have provided me.
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