Suzanne Hill

High Water Mark

Artist's Statement

The high water mark is a reminder of the advance and retreat, ebb and flow, natural and sometimes unusual change.

Common in a maritime setting, yet distinctive and different in every location, this part of the "shorescape" was the starting point for a major exhibit that evolved over several years. Consisting of four sections, each presents the high water mark as paralleling or reflective of an aspect of the human condition. I suppose almost any natural  process or element could work this way, but it seems to me that this recognizable piece of the coastal environment has a familiarity, a resonance that visually enhances/connects with a statement about how we live in the world.

The first group of works introduces the high water mark itself, and leads into a consideration of natural and imposed boundaries. The second group is tied to the idea of a "turning point". The highest tides occur at the solstices, the high water mark indicating the point at which change takes place. Flotsam and jetsam, the third group, proposes a literal definition of society's jetsam - what is considered superfluous - and the meaningless repetitive words, phrases, images that "float" over our debris. The fourth group of works considers perceived goals, aspirations, level of attainment. Is the high water mark a standard? A measure of worth?

I continue to discover how interesting it is that fragments of ordinary day to day experience can connect to larger questions of our individual existence, our community and our society.