Rising tides, the colorful painted lines on the far dock, marks the new high tide lines as sea level rises foot by foot over the next century. The base line is white, and marks the current high tide line. Each subsequent line shows where one foot of sea rise puts the new high tide line. The predicted total rise over the next century at this site is 2’-6’. After two feet, the color changes from cooler colors to the warning yellow at 3’.  The final color, red, at the top of the iron cleats, marks five feet, as there is nothing on the dock 6’ above current high tide. These tide lines show normal high tides, not storm surges, which will be higher.

These lines help you imagine where the water will be in the future, and what else around the harbor will be awash. How will we all respond to this new base line? We want to hear your response. Along the marina are messages tucked into tiny bottles that correspond to each new high tide level. For each foot of rise, there is a positive and a negative prompt- for in every change there is positive and negative. Will Ignorance or Hope win out? Denial/Response? Fear/Action?  Disbelief/Commitment? Awash/Repair? Adrift/Renewal? Both, or neither? What do you think?

Your thoughts may be prompted by these messages as you walk along the main marina, you may have unrelated ideas. These bottles are tiny, and are found much like a message-in-a bottle is found in the vast sea, by happenstance, or perhaps as a treasure hunt. They beg your reply message, which we will toss into the vast sea of the internet.

Place your response to these tide lines and rising sea levels in the large collection bottle, and we will post them on the HarborArts web site.

Susan Israel, Rising Tides

Acrylic paint, glass bottles, plastic bottle, asphalt roofing paper, copper wire;  all 

reclaimed materials

Susan Israel is the Founder & Principal of the Energy Necklace Project, which uses art and workshops to teach sustainability, innovation and collaboration in businesses, communities and schools. The Energy Necklace Project connects diverse communities  in a dialogue about sustainability through the vehicle of public art and workshops. We teach the skills of collaboration, leadership and creative thinking which are needed to innovate solutions. 

Through the Energy Necklace Project people become empowered to find solutions to  overwhelming problems, and become connected to a larger community of solution seekers.  

See more at www.energynecklace.com.