“Ocean Drive”
The repurposing and the reuse of materials define the
picture plane exploring extraordinary lives masked in the routine of ordinary
life. Using collage and assemblage consisting of one 20,000 Leagues Under the
Sea paperback, ink removed pages of magazines and other paper ephemeral Eco
Artist Nancy Martini depicts famous writers which include, Jules Verne (as the
bus driver), Mark Twain, Virginia Woolf, Emily Bronte, Jane Austin, and William
Shakespeare. She uses the figures of the famous authors not to glorify them,
but to wonder about the unwritten stories of seemly ordinary people on a simple
bus trip.
Layered in her work are environmental messages to from the
destination of Ocean Drive to the water and graphic outlines representing
buildings created from the ocean’s bounty (cement being pulverized limestone,
oyster or seashells). The piece invites the viewer to understand not only be
green, but to be blue as well.
The most noticeable feature of the assemblage is the positioning
of a bus bike rake that serves to educate the public through direct
participation how to mount a bicycle on the front of a city bus. The process is
a fairly easy procedure, but can be intimidating for the first time in a real
life situation when a cyclist has to stand in front of an impatient ten foot
tall bus. Especially when there is no
help available from the bus driver who is not allowed to assist you in any way for
liability reasons.
Steps to mount a bicycle on a city bus rack.
Grab the top center of the rack and squeeze the handle to lower it.
Remove any baggage on your bike then lift your bicycle on to the rack with the front tire toward the rotating support arm.
Rotate the support over your front tire by starting the rotation under the rack.
Get on the bus and make sure you tell the bus
driver upon exiting that you will be retrieving your bicycle.
'Ocean Drive' will be on exhibition at the Coral Gables Museum from January 23 until February 22, 2014.
'Ocean Drive' will be on exhibition at the Coral Gables Museum from January 23 until February 22, 2014.
