Loren Nelson

Artist Statement

In search of background information about these captivating mounds on the Port of Astoria (Oregon) boat docks, I shared a few of these photographs with their staff. “They are bundled nets for mid-water trawling. The consensus was that they see these nets as “work,” but it’s nice to step back and admire their beauty.” Further research reveals that although trawl nets are being precision-made to exclude certain types of by-catch not intended to be caught, “ghost nets” that are lost at sea comprise nearly half of the Great Pacific Garbage Patch and silently continue to kill sea life that becomes tangled in their grasp as well as doing damage to coral reefs. As fascinating as these arrangements of ropes and nets are, they should remind us of the insidious nature of plastics in our environment, which will outlive us by hundreds of years.

Loren Nelson | Beaverton, Oregon

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