Intertidal Deployment Objects: A Collaboration with Nature

Trygve Faste and Jessica Swanson's Innovative Approach to Sculptural Design

Derived from an aesthetic exploration of nautical hardware and maritime equipment, the design of these pieces is informed by the constraints of cultivating marine life growth. The designers have chosen to work with barnacles, often considered a fouling organism in the marine world, to highlight their beauty and question the common use of toxic paints.

The Intertidal Deployment Objects are a modular system of forms that are interchangeable. One section can be submerged into the ocean to grow marine life and then be removed and assembled into a completed piece. The end result is a dynamic ceramic surface, uniquely complex and beautiful, generated in collaboration with the marine environment.

The project, based in Eugene, Oregon, took place from 2013 to 2017, with some aspects continuing to this date. The barnacles were grown in Coos Bay and Penn Cove. The most challenging part of the project was figuring out how to grow the barnacles in a safe and predictable way. This required testing many marine environments and approaches, ultimately discovering that the best method was to submerge crates off docks at particular times of the year with the ceramics firmly attached inside.

Once the growth process was established, the designers had to develop forms that would be appropriate to the concept of the piece and allow the use of barnacles in a controlled and aesthetic manner. This created many constraints as to the form and assembly method they would ultimately decide on. Despite the fragility of the barnacles, the designers successfully overcame these challenges.

The Intertidal Deployment Objects primarily function on a conceptual level, and their primary purpose is to generate interest in the idea of working collaboratively with natural elements in the creation of design. Some of the forms can be opened and used for storage, or as a vase, adding a functional dimension to the sculptural pieces.

This innovative design concept was recognized with the Silver A' Fine Arts and Art Installation Design Award in 2018. This prestigious award is given to top-of-the-line, creative, and professionally remarkable designs that illustrate outstanding expertise and innovation. The Intertidal Deployment Objects, with their strong technical characteristics and splendid artistic skill, truly showcase a remarkable level of excellence and introduce positive feelings, amazement, and wonder.