Dimensions: 11 1/2 x 15 x 17 1/2 in.
The Ocean Library stacks incorporate physical and emotional reminders of Hall’s husband, Mark S. Weil, while also reflecting upon environmental issues. The cast paper books are made from Weil’s cotton shirts and silk ties and coated with sand collected from beaches around the world. The paper books sit atop a cast resin book base embedded with plastic detritus and beach glass.
Each stack contains casts of two books: one belonging to the artist, History of Art by H.W. Janson, and one belonging to her husband, a history of religious art written in French. Janson’s textbook, which Hall read as a freshman in art school, does not include a single woman artist – it is a book of misinformation. In creating this work, Hall was thinking about the spread of misinformation surrounding the climate crisis, as well as the sense that attempts to reverse climate change can feel akin to religion – acts of faith wherein the result is not always evident.
These stacks are a statement on the finite nature of sand. If we destroy the reefs, the amount of sand produced will be greatly reduced.
