Turquoise Wake, 2015  

TURQUOISE

“Turquoise was among the tinted stones from Asia that gave substance to the color blue...Brilliant natural substances - turquoise, cobalt, and lapis lazuli from Iran and Afghanistan - were traded across the early modern world and catalyzed the creation of blue as a cultural phenomenon.”

Arash Khazeni “Sky Blue Stone: The Turquoise Trade in World History”

WAKE

To emerge from a state of sleep; to stop sleeping.

The slipstream.

The waves that spread behind a boat as it moves forward.  

The aftermath or consequences.

To become alert or aware.

To stir or come to life.

Random Parts is pleased to announce an artist residency with the multi-disciplinary artist Gabby Miller.  This residency is a one month exploration of what is sent across The Pacific Ocean, mining, and a meditation on the transformation and destruction of the the great vehicle’s blue-green slipstream.

In August 2015 Miller crossed The Pacific Ocean on The CMA CGM Gemini, a 380 meter long ship capable of carrying 11,000 containers. She was the only passenger going from Oakland to Xiamen, China. The trip took 21 days.

Aboard the ship and in the months following in Vietnam, she developed a new body of work that explores the geopolitical history, and current movement of goods, people and power across ocean lines. Her project investigates the violence and power in the logistics of trade. The cargo ship plays an integral role as the vessel for departure for both refugees, and for goods, both historically and at present. In 1967 the U.S. government contracted Sea-Land Services to begin service from The Port of Oakland to South Vietnam. It is argued that the supply demands for the Vietnam War catalyzed the adoption of container shipping globally.

TURQUOISE WAKE (Coal, Air, Chicken & Shit)  brings this project back to Oakland, where Gabby was born.