A Sample of the Baltic Sea, 1996-97
On arriving in Ahrenshoop, I gazed at the sea. I painted two seascapes
in watercolours. I thought about how I could convey the feeling of
the sea. I then took a cup and filled it with seawater. I repeated this
process every day during my stay in Ahrenshoop, at the same spot on
the beach. I continued my sea-sampling project on the opposite shore
of the Baltic Sea, in Helsinki. In February, the sea at my spot on
the shoreline was frozen for five days, which caused a break in
the work. I arrived on the beach at Neukamp on the island of Rügen,
where I finished the sea-sampling project. I thought about the sea,
about my going to sea, and about the ritual of gathering water on all
the 98 days I had spent on the shores of the Baltic Sea. I conserved
the 98 litres of seawater in glass jars and dated them.
© Anna-Lea Kopperi
and all authors 2008