In the beginning… evolves conceptually from the sea as a universal and regenerative life source. The work extends the ocean into the building, linking academic study, scientific research, history and natural context.

The undulating wall of the Marine Sciences Building lobby peels open, from the floor to the atrium ceiling, to reveal a layer of the ocean developed in a liquid tapestry of illusionary shadow images. Water is incorporated as a living element, and symbolic sculptural gesture.

Analysis of the ocean, etched on to the glass to interact with the kinetic skin of water has been drawn from the research activities related to the Marine Sciences laboratory facility which include: tides and currents, ocean floor, ecology, aquatic invertebrates, cell structure, plankton, aquatic ecosystems, marine macroalgae, sediment dynamics and crustacean behavior, among others.

"Interestingly enough, if you look at the way the water is cascading, you actually see a lot of physics in the water movement…It is a wonderful teaching tool."
Dr. Robert Whitlatch, Head
Department of Marine Sciences

Location: Marine Sciences Building, University of Conneticut at Avery Point/Groton, CT
Materials: etched glass, stainless steel, plasterboard, water, light, paint
Dimensions: 39 ft. H x 14 ft. W x 6 ft. D

Commissioned by State of Connecticut for Marine Sciences Building through the University of Connecticut and the Connecticut Commission on the Arts