MESSAGE IN A BOTTLE

Inspired by the gracefully shaped laboratory glassware, similar in shape to that of a classical amphora, the artists created two large-scale cast glass forms as the focal point of the project. The glass is mounted in bronze brackets, echoing the supports used throughout the lab. The face of each amphora is a flat, polished surface that viewers can peer into. The other side echoes the fully rounded form of the lab glass. Forms of microscopic indicator species and macro invertebrates are modeled on the convex side of the form. With their slim profiles the vessels allow views out onto the water, while adding a layer of information and magic to the scene. A second large glass disk refers to the view through a microscopic lens or the cultures in a Petri dish. This clear glass "lens" teems with life forms found in water, in particular the diatoms found in salt water. The modeled large-scale versions of the microscopic forms are arranged to evoke the landscape of the moon. Mounted on a bronze stand, the glass is located on the stair landing directly over the front entrance and is visible from the exterior of the building.


Artists Fernanda D’Agostino and Valerie Otani

Location/s: King County Water Quality Lab, WA, 2004