12 sand peel sculptures collected from sand deposited in Buffalo Bayou Park during the Hurricane Harvey flood events of August 2017. Collected between October 2017 and June 2018.

The artwork is an artistic and scientific collaboration between artist and daughter Kate Kendall, geologist and father Jerry Kendall, and their communities with support from the Buffalo Bayou Partnership and funded in part by the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance. All twelve sand peels have been exhibited at the Buffalo Bayou Sunset Coffee Building and as a special exhibition at the 2019 GeoGulf Convention. Two sand peel sculptures were on view fall 2018 in Seeing Harvey, an exhibition of personal stories and public responses at Fotofest International along with photographs taken by Jan-Claire Phillips of Buffalo Bayou Park when the first sand peels were collected in October 2017. The sand peels were featured in the January 2019 Houston Geologic Society Bulletin and

In 2019 we created the Buffalo Bayou Field Guide, a digital walking tour guide highlighting sites within Buffalo Bayou Park that detail and intertwine the narratives of the Hurricane Harvey flood, the science of the deposits and the historical, social and geopolitical contexts of Buffalo Bayou in Houston, Texas.

To learn more about our science and art collaboration please visit flowarchive.com

Exhibition View: Emerge: Fluvial Tapestries from Hurricane Harvey, Buffalo Bayou Sunset Coffee Building Gallery, Houston, Texas; October 26 - November 15 2018

12 sand peel sculptures made of sediment deposit from Hurricane Harvey in Buffalo Bayou Park, recycled wood debris collected after Hurricane Harvey, paint; printed map of Buffalo Bayou park; 2 channel looping video installation; tape and vinyl wall installation marking high water; ‘Flood Adjustment Recovery’ publication, editions of 50 color and 50 black and white

Emerge: Fluvial Tapestries from Hurricane Harvey

Buffalo Bayou is an ever-evolving fundamental feature of Houston, TX. It has and always will change and adapt to its surroundings. The bayou responds to both natural and artificial changes imposed on it, eroding in one place and depositing sediment somewhere else. Hurricane Harvey was one of thousands of such events that Buffalo Bayou has experienced. Emerge: Fluvial Tapestries presents a natural narrative of Hurricane Harvey in relation to Buffalo Bayou’s water levels and the sediment deposits left after the storm.

From October 2017 to June 2018 a team of artists and geologists working in communication with the Buffalo Bayou Partnership and the University of Houston Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences collected 12 sand peels from sediment deposits left by Hurricane Harvey in Buffalo Bayou Park. A sand peel is a geologic science tool used to capture and read sediment deposit patterns. These natural sand tapestries are a record of Buffalo Bayou’s reactions to Hurricane Harvey. The sedimentary structures and layers visible on each sand peel are the result of the evolving energy levels and sediment load carried by Buffalo Bayou as water unleashed by Hurricane Harvey flooded and receded from Houston. The layers tell the story of flooding, adjustment, and recovery from the storm. The frames for the sand peel sculptures are made from recycled wood debris collected after Hurricane Harvey. The sculptures are complemented by water marks on the walls of the gallery that illustrate the timeline of events during Harvey flooding and  a video that documents the efforts to restore the park, the current flow and use of the Bayou, and the surrounding landscape of Houston, Texas. 

Special THANKS to the Buffalo Bayou Partnership, especially Anne Olson, Trudy Smith and Robbie Robinson, The University of Houston Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, especially Joel Saylor and Erin Miller, Charlie and Linda Beeman, Tom Byrd (Buffalo Bayou Air Force), Dixie Friend, Ky “the boxer” Cooksey,  Box Superstore, Mina Gaber, Andres Machin and Jan-Claire Phillips for their generous support of this project. This project is funded in part by the City of Houston through the Houston Arts Alliance.

ADDITIONAL EVENTS

Artist/Geologist Talk and Gallery Walkthrough 

Sunday October 28th 1:30pm – 2:30pm

Sunday November  4th 1:30pm – 2:30pm