Waiting for a Break

Waiting for a Break  Julia Christensen (2018) Gallery View

Set up of a camera on the shore at Stone Lab, on the shore of South Bass IslandĀ 

Set up of a camera on the shore at Stone Lab, on the shore of South Bass IslandĀ   Julia Christensen | the artist

Christensen working on the wifi network for a camera installed outdoors on the short of South Bass I

Christensen working on the wifi network for a camera installed outdoors on the short of South Bass I  Matt Thomas | the artist

Camera installed on Peach Point in the Sandusky Bay  Julia Christensen | the artist

Screen shot from camera on South Bass island  Julia Christensen | the artist

Screen shot from camera at Peach Point  Julia Christensen | the artist

Set up of a camera on the shore at Stone Lab, on the shore of Gibralter Island

Set up of a camera on the shore at Stone Lab, on the shore of Gibralter Island  Julia Christestsen |

Opening Reception: January 26, 6-9pm
On View: January 26, 2018 - March 23, 2018

Video Catalogue Photo Catalogue Gallery Guide


Waiting for a Break is an interdisciplinary art piece that tracks Lake Erie's winter ice as it forms, shifts, and breaks in real time during the winter of 2017-2018. Networked cameras strategically placed along the coast of Lake Erie broadcast a live feed of the lake's nuanced winter drama. SPACES will exhibit these live feeds, along with time-lapse animations of the feeds as the ice changes over time, and documents related to the project research.

Although we are all waiting for the ice to break in the middle of the winter, Lake Erie's ice is becoming thinner and more erratic, year by year. The Great Lakes Protection Act is currently under threat, and proposed cuts would take the health of the Great Lakes back decades. So ice is actually a visual, tangible indicator of a healthy lake and a healthy climate. When we talk about icebergs melting due to climate change, it is often hard to conceptualize, since icebergs are so big, and so far away. But broadcasting images of the ice on the western end of our Great Lake Erie brings climate change's impact on our own ecosystem home to Cleveland.

Waiting for a Break extends beyond SPACES, with a concurrent presentation organized by the artist and LAND studio in Public Square.

About the Artist

Julia Christensen

Julia Christensen is a multidisciplinary artist whose work explores systems of technology, consumerism, landscape, and history. Her work has been featured in solo and group exhibitions internationally, at venues such as Eyebeam (NY, NY), the Walker Art Center (Minneapolis, MN), Pori Art Museum (Pori, Finland), Lincoln Center (NY, NY), and... go to artist page

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