Redefining Monument: Contemporary Reflections on Fort Adams is a site responsive exhibition of works created by artists from the Rhode Island School of Design. Inherent narratives of Fort Adams were excavated through historical and material research, which was then reflected upon through a highly personal, introspective process.

The voices of those who inhabited Fort Adams in the past are highlighted across works, which acknowledge the life and labor of not only those who contributed to its construction, but those who maintained the Fort during its use, as well as those who inhabited the space during its period of abandonment. The artists also engaged in critical investigations of the fort’s relationship to larger national dialogues surrounding themes such as sea level rise, immigration conflicts, the military and prison-industrial complex, and the imperialist history that formed this country. The overarching intention behind these considerations of tension and loss is moving towards acknowledgment.

In recognition of the practice to preserve monuments, the twelve artists participating in this exhibition asked: how do the histories of this monumental structure stir our collective memory and serve to spark relevant conversations impacting our own lives as well as those around us? The audience is invited to tour the installations resulting from the artists’ investigations and reflect on their own active role in shaping the past/present/future

I was fortunate enough to collaborate with Eunhyung Chung on a piece we titled High Tide. Fort Adams has a rich history interacting with the sea- it was known as the “Rock on Which the Storm Shall Beat”. Both Eunhyung and I were inspired by the presence of the ocean in the fort itself and the multiple meanings that had in terms of the past present and future of this historic landmark.

HIGH TIDE

Artist Statement:

The ocean is a dynamic presence, a calm intrusion, a reflective place, a telling force. It will both preserve and destroy. Fort Adams is the rock on which the storm shall beat, protecting the land from the sea. It is the first line of defense, a monument to entropy in our collective memory and to the natural world. The water suspended here is an alarm for the future and a blanket to the past.