Zoe Strauss’s
“Sea Change” was a somber and pensive gallery. The title itself comes from an
idiom coined by Shakespeare, which fittingly means “a change wrought by the sea”.
The gallery itself depicts the aftermath of three disasters: Hurricane Katrina,
the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and Hurricane Sandy. The images showed
numerous destroyed houses, wrecked cars, and the defeated look of those who
lived near the areas affected.
The gallery resonated
on a personal level with me. I can vividly remember being “evacuated” from
campus when Hurricane Sandy touched down in 2012. Going to my house in southern
New Jersey seemed counterintuitive, but we were fortunately spared by the
storm. I had only heard stories about the destruction that happened to the
State’s prized shores.
Eventually, that following summer, a
friend asked me to work with him at one of the shore towns that was hit hard by
the storm. When we got to Long Beach Island as spa and pool repairmen, the town
was still in shambles. I couldn’t believe that even months later, the hurricane’s
damage was still apparent. I was horrified to see entire developments of houses
that were literally only frames.
The gallery also captured the “Jersey
pride” essence that I experienced during my time in LBI. In the gallery there
were numerous road signs saying things like “Jersey Strong”, “This Is My
Hometown”, or “No One Keeps Us Down”. Similar signs were posted all over the
place in LBI. While I know I didn’t see the worst of what the hurricane did,
the gallery reminded me of all the sad and somber feelings that I experienced
during my time on the island. Personally, it gives me a sense of heightened respect
for the ocean after seeing the “sea change” it can cause.
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| A swamped pool in LBI caused by Sandy. Image by Cody Long |
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