Station D

"In the realm of utopia, islands often serve as potent metaphors for perpetual transformation and renewal. They symbolize places where life can begin anew, alluring us with the promise of a terrestrial paradise and often revealing dystopian realities. Gilles Deleuze, in his essay 'Desert Islands,' explores islands as spaces that defy clear separation from the whole, existing in an ongoing interplay between the opposing forces of land and sea.

These concepts lie at the core of the art installation known as 'Station D.' Situated at Cherry Street Pier on the Delaware River, 'Station D' is a site-specific video installation. It features a compact 3 x 3 feet floating platform displayed on a video monitor. The platform is composed of eight tiles crafted from burned plaster, created by embedding textile fibers into the plaster and then torching all traces of the embedded fibers. This tactile transformation of the tiles mirrors the dynamism found in natural landscapes.

At the heart of this platform, a micro-environment flourishes with live plants, starkly contrasting life against the scorched plaster tiles, creating a micro oasis emblematic of the perpetual renewal and transformation found within any ecosystem. The video content displayed captures the floating plaster platform filmed on the Delaware River, blurring the boundaries between the physical and the digital.

Situated in front of the video monitor, a wooden raft with two blue plastic barrels provides a seating area for visitors. Periodically, the video pauses to reveal a QR code, enabling viewers to access a website offering a gateway to a system of 'temporary citizenship.' This interactive component augments the installation, prompting viewers to reconsider the boundaries that define citizenship and how these boundaries can adapt and evolve, much like the changing coastlines of an island.

"Station D" is a piece that connects with the constantly shifting and evolving landscapes of islands. It does so by drawing parallels between the transformative forces at play in these island environments and the dynamic relationship between place and identity. The installation is an immersive exploration of these complex ideas and invites viewers to contemplate the fluidity and adaptability of human existence, citizenship, and the concept of belonging."