Comments

1
I can't imagine why they won't just take his word that his sculptures won't harm the bay. I mean he did some tests!
2
a whole lot (23 foot tall sculptures) of corn-based biodegradable material isn't necessarily something we would normally want to add to our delicate intertidal ecology is it? (how fast does it degrade?) ...and just so we're clear on this, why is it important to dump art into the ocean? it's because dumping these objects into the ocean is an artistic statement, is that it?
3
I am by no means an expert on water issues in this city, so this is utter speculation on my part(and I bet I'm mssing something), but if the sculptures get hosed down on land, won't the biodegradable remains just flow into storm drains and out into the a nearby body of water anyways?
4
for want of a spill page the Internet was lost ... wonder how long it took to scroll thru that on an iPhone ...
5
As long as we're dumping art into the sea, maybe we could put SAM on rails and run its ass into Elliot Bay...
6
Bellingham has a rich history with water pollution. It was only after a century of efforts that real limitations have been put on industry to prevent stuff from being dumped in Bellingham bay.

***Notable: The very first clean water law that affected the (then choked with pollutants) waterfront was the following: IT CAN'T FLOAT.***
7
A Cozy Kitchen is from Bellingham!
8
Maybe the department of ecology's efforts would be better directed at the many factories lining Bellingham Bay that have famously polluted it for decades, rather than an artist's temporary corn-based sculpture.
9
The thing is, just because something is biodegradable doesn't mean it's harmless. I used to live on a sailboat, and I would never allow any food scraps (or anything else) into the water. Obviously, food scraps are biodegradable, but they can alter the nutrient balance of the water, affecting the creatures that live there. I believe this is a standard policy for marinas in Puget Sound: absolutely nothing goes into the water.

Now, I doubt that this artwork would have really caused much harm... but if city officials promote dumping large objects into the bay, what message does that send to all the boneheads in powerboats? The ecological condition of our waterways is too precarious for this kind of thing.

I'm very enthusiastic about art, and I understand that the artist's intentions were good. But I think the city was right to cancel it.

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