Tide Connection: A piece of Art Digital Jewellery
Tide Connection is a piece of Art Digital Jewellery that connects the wearer with a significant place, the sea. It is a digital necklace made out of found objects, steel, leather and electronics (adafruit feather huzzah esp8266 board, NeoPixel Flora LED and a li-po battery). The piece retrieves data (low to high tide) from a specific location in the North East of England, a place significant to the wearer, which then maps into light. The smooth transition between the colours (low tide: white to high tide:blue) represents the changes of the waves throughout the day. Tide goes from low - high twice within a day. There is a slight difference in the timings between day-to-day and significant between seasons. The piece is site-spesific, however, it links the wearer with the sea, a location that is a site for reflection and connection with one sense of self.
“Crossing the causaway to St.Mary’s lighthouse in Newcastle, UK on 1st of April 2020 around 18:45. The island is cut off from the mainland twice a day during high tide.During these times the causeway leading to the island (“St.Mary’s Lighthouse”) is submerged, either in parts, or entirely, and it is impossible to cross. Luckily, I visited the location at the exact time when the tide was low enough to be safe to cross the path. I experienced a feeling of anticipation and excitement to reach the island between the tides via the short causeway while I was observing the water slowly to fall. The tidal phenomenon is not so dramatic in the Mediterranean sea as the tides are of a very low amplitude. I have first experienced this phenomenon in the UK. The sea, however, has played an important role in my life since I was a child. I remembered myself going for long walks along the coastline to recenter myself and connect with the element of water - its colours and sounds and my body through the sensation of the water on my bare foot - something I do until the present day. Schon after I moved to a new city in the UK for a new job the country went into lockdown and all experience travel restrictions. A few weeks into the lockdown I came back with the idea to design a new piece of jewellery that could connect me with the sea through the tides and the memories of the place I just left.” Personal Reflections
The piece has been developed in collaboration with Luis Carvalho
