RETI Center is a Red Hook-based nonprofit organization that focuses on the neighborhood's environmental resilience in face of oncoming climate change and rising water levels. The nonprofit has developed multiple projects to date, but one in particular stood out to us: an exploration of how engaging sugar kelp in the New York Bay can create a natural, safe, and effective filtration system for the city's waters.
RETI is based on a barge parked in New York Bay and accessible from Columbia Street. In front of RETI stands a large wall made of 36"x36" concrete blocks; lining a visitor's way to RETI's educational facility, it is tasked with creating a first impression about the organization's mission and ethos. When commissioned to design a mural for this wall, we prioritized volunteering with RETI, interviewing its contributors, and spending time in Red Hook in order to embed ourselves within its culture.
After volunteering with and investigating RETI center, we were inspired by the kelp's almost architectural modularity. We developed the idea of stenciling and Matisse-style cutouts to develop a visual toolkit for its representation.
We called our friends for a Saturday of testing spray-painting techniques and exploring the site.
Our first design option took a minimalist approach, focusing on a single branch's translucency and flow when in water.
Our second design option is and exploration of the underwater world of kelp - here reimagined as an homage to Matisse's famous Papiers Découpés series.
While we're not certain where the future of this project lies, we're happy to share our explorations so far. We're mesmerized by the imagery that underwater worlds offer, and excited to continue our investigation into their rich and unfamiliar nature.