Rise
2017
Bluestone staircase, acrylic
18’ x 5.5’
Installation transforming an industrialist’s historic stone stairway to the Delaware River into a measuring device for sea level rise. Glen Foerd on the Delaware was established in North Philadelphia in 1850 by a millionaire who owned an industrial tannery just north of the city. The site is now a historic house museum and public garden. Mirrored text labels each stair with the name of a Philadelphia neighborhood or city landmark at the height at which that landmark will be inundated by floodwaters. Rise references the connections between global climate phenomena, the industrial history of the site, and the future of Philadelphia.
Created with artist collective Camp Little Hope.
Funded by Glen Foerd and The Center for Emerging Visual Artists.