UNDERNEATH 2018-19
CAN'T HAPPEN HERE 2016-2017
Sea levels have kept rising despite Executive orders and Homeland Security directives. I am proud to say that, come what may, my coastal neighborhood stands prepared.
FUTURE STATES 2011-2014
In early March 2011, worrying about the effects of global warming on ocean levels, I began a series of waves superimposed on cities. On March 11th, when the tsunami struck Japan, my images no longer seemed futuristic.
Shambala Buddhism has a practice called tonglen. You breathe in attempting to feel another’s pain, then breathe out while wishing them spaciousness and peace. It is a way of increasing compassion for onself as well as for others.
In the days that followed the Japanese quake, I began this series again, using views of my own city, San Pedro, and its coast, including the tiny remnant of the tsunami that arrived at Cabrillo Beach. Rhythmically placing one view on top of another was my form of tonglen, a kind of requiem for the earthquake victims.
© Ariel Swartley
