This sculpture was created for the Weymouth Art Trail, responding to the theme of Water. I chose to explore the idea of levels as a reflection on rising sea levels and their impact on our planet. The work invites viewers to step back and consider how we might make meaningful changes in response to this growing crisis.
Levels is constructed from stainless steel and resin. The resin used is 40% plant-based and among the most environmentally responsible options currently available. The sculpture was developed in collaboration with poet Aly Stoneman, whose accompanying poem forms an integral part of the work.
Aly Stoneman is a poet and researcher whose work explores the relationship between humans and the natural world in a changing climate. More information can be found at alystoneman.co.uk.
Sea levels are rising and will continue to do so for centuries, threatening both communities and habitats. In places such as the Jurassic Coast, rising seas and increased storm activity driven by global warming intensify the natural process of coastal erosion. These landscapes must consider a wide range of adaptation strategies—both now and for the future.
THE LEVELS ARE CHANGING
Aly Stoneman 2021
Start at sea level
reckon the tide’s surge
metre by metre
over patchwork fields
blue outflanking you
year on year
to the threshold of your house,
your tongue slipping
on place-names sunk
in sediment and brackish water.
Your home means little to a future
of eroded cliffs, toppled
tree stumps at low tide;
roads leading nowhere.
The sea sends
harbinger gulls inland.
We must navigate
our changing world.
