This month the Harrison Center welcomes The Forgiving Sea Project, an interactive series created by Carolyn Springer. Along with composer Joseph Lamm and a special performance from the Kenyatta Dance Troupe, Springer unveiled the most recent iteration of the project on November 5th during First Friday.

The Forgiving Sea Project started in 2016 as a single oil painting. The project has now seen the completion of three 6’x6’ canvases with the help of the community. Springer originally envisioned the project as a way to break free from the traditional, rigid boundaries that gallery-displayed artwork often adheres to. Meaning, the pieces in this show require participation on the part of the audience. Viewers are encouraged to use chalk pastels to write names of those they wish to forgive within the imagery of oil-based seascapes.

This month, visitors of the interactive exhibition can expect to see the completed canvases of Forgiving Sea I, II, & III, as well as archival digital prints of twelve of the project’s previous layers. Participants are encouraged to write on one of four canvases that form a quadriptych (pictured). This quadriptych, which Springer refers to as a “movable sanctuary,” will become Forgiving Sea IV.

As depicted in Forgiving Sea III, Layer 6, participants write on the canvases with significant variance. Many scrawl the names of others, some write their names, and a few pen down more abstract notions: trauma, fear, and haters. As names fill the canvases, Springer washes over them with a new layer of paint. Each additional layer provides further dimension to the compositions.

The continuous and dramatic transformations that the canvases undergo can be seen within the documentation of Forgiving Sea III’s sixth and seventh layers (both pictured). The color story shifts from a mix of ultramarine blue and seafoam green hues to more muted tones with hints of burnt sienna throughout. Even the content of the canvas changes considerably. The composition goes from depicting a chasmic ocean floor to a shallow reef scene, where a quartet of clownfish splashes about. One can imagine the depth that accrues on these works after twenty-or-so layers of names and paint. Springer states that the “back and forth layers continue to transform [each canvas] into a soulful work of art made by the collective community.”

*The Forgiving Sea: Music for the Collection* (Album Cover)

Springer collaborated with composer Joseph Lamm + Music Hypnotica to create a soundtrack that reflects the ethos of The Forgiving Sea Project. The album can be purchased for download (or on CD/vinyl) via Lamm’s website. Springer and Lamm partnered on this project to engage both the visual and auditory senses of participants.

The Forgiving Sea Project stands as a tangible reminder of contributors’ resolutions to forgive. Springer has made every effort to ensure that the project is inclusive for all who desire to partake – whether visually, auditorily, or tactilely. The project even includes a braille relief. By promoting forgiveness as an achievable objective for all, Springer is looking to positively transform the lives of the individuals and communities that interact with The Forgiving Sea Project.

The Forgiving Sea Project is on view in Speck Gallery during the month of November from 9 a.m.–5 p.m., Monday–Friday. If you missed the unveiling on First Friday, there is still an opportunity to interact with the project and Carolyn Springer on November 30th during Forgiving Tuesday (9 a.m.–5 p.m.). The paintings and prints from this show are additionally available for viewing and purchase in our online gallery.