Related Projects

Water Projects
  • Windows on the Floating World

    • A project using refracted light and other day/night lighting effects for a new mixed-use building

  • Xixi Umbrellas

    • Floating umbrella sculptures in the Xixi Wetland Park of Hangzhou, China

  • Terra Fugit

    • A park design that explores the changing Everglades environment to help visitors relate to a rapidly transforming landscape

  • WaterWorks at Arizona Falls

    • A permanent installation at an old hydropower station

  • Drawn Water

    • A permanent piece at the Cambridge, MA Water Treatment Plant about where water comes from and where it goes

  • The Bronx River Golden Ball

    • An annual event in the Bronx and Westchester Co., NY, where the ball focuses diverse communities on the river

  • Kenduskeag Roots

    • Four sites along the river trail using fallen trees and recorded sound

  • River Runes

    • A trail of installations focused on the river at Art Park

  • Winding Down the Charles

    • A performance piece in Cambridge, MA about the length of the river and time

  • River

    • An illusionary river of water, light, and shadow

  • Communal Well

    • A participatory installation in Hawaii about drinking water

  • Tidal Lagoon Swansea Bay

    • Proposal for the Swansea Bay Tidal Lagoon

  • Reclamation Art

    • Reclamation Artists Boston

Maine
  • Kenduskeag Roots

    • Four sites along the river trail using fallen trees and recorded sound

A MoonTide Garden

  • Location: International Ferry Terminal, Portland, ME (2007)
  • Client: Maine Department of Transportation
  • Size: 2 acres
  • Material: Aluminum leaf on boulders, trees, marsh grass, boardwalk
  • Budget: $80,000

Casco Bay & Portland Harbor

The refurbished site of A MoonTide Garden is a Portland public art rock garden that accentuates the dramatic 11 ft moon tides of the region.  From the new boardwalk leading up to the garden, visitors see lines of marsh grass radiating outwards with a line of boulders leading the eye out to Casco Bay. When fully grown, the green strips of grass will be visible even when covered by the water of the moon tide.

The Site

View of the site prior to construction

Model of the site with new terminal

The site of A MoonTide Garden was once a holding crib for disposing of dredge materials from Portland Harbor. The project was initiated with the building of the new International Ferry & Cruise Terminal, which brings international visitors to Portland.

The Tide

The boulders are capped with aluminum leaf, marking the point that water reaches during the highest moon tide. For most of the month the installation focuses on the anticipation of the tide. When the tide comes in, only the silver tops of the boulders are seen above the water.


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