Water Toys
Water Toy 8

Project Statement: Water Toys


On a hill country hike one hot Texas afternoon I found an abandoned swimming hole populated only by an array of colorful water toys.

I was immediately and eerily seduced by the combination of texture, iridescence, geometric shapes and luminescent hues – all floating against the blue-green waters of the empty pool. Was this real? Was the abandonment intentional? Was it meaningful? I was transfixed.

The familiarity of the shapes and the absence of swimmers reminded me of those uneasy transitional moments in childhood when play mingled with a tinge of apprehension, when safety flirted with the unknown. The toys were inviting but the invitation was suffused with caution.

“No lifeguard on duty. Swim at your own risk.”

A decision would have to be made.

For me, these water toys have become mnemonic objects, hauntingly frozen in time, that recall the many subtle passages from rule-follower child to decision-taker adult.
[Return to Gallery]