Monthly Statement:
October 2005

The tides were on my side this month with many days having the low tide close to 5PM. A perfect time for me to collect gum on my way home from work. This resulted in collecting more than twice as many pieces as September with a total of 91. The photographs for this month show a few examples of the gum in its natural habitat along the shore.

Process: I've been collecting detritus from the San Francisco bay for four years, and have noticed that it sorts itself into two categories: top floaters and bottom floaters. Gum is a bottom floater meaning it can only be found at low tide on shorelines with a very wide inter-tidal region. I carefully plan my collection visits according to the tide schedule, in locations I've previously identified to be rich in bottom floaters. Back at the studio I wash the collected items and place them in bags for later use.