Construction: The 'Creek Snake'
is made out of the materials of the creek; river
rocks, clay, wood and metal. The snake
is actually an 80 foot long Gabion. Gabion construction is commonly
used by landscape architects to shore up creek banks and highway
road cuts. Gabions, made out of wire mesh and large gravel, are
filled in with dirt and plant life and control erosion as a permanent
part of the landscape.
Concept:
The snake is a powerful mythological symbol, often occupying
out dreams. Gaea, the Goddess Earth, had a grandaughter named
medusa who had snakes for hair. The rod of Moses, which changed
into a serpent, later produced water from a rock in the desert.
The snake shedding its skin sludes to death and rebirth. In Hindu
mythology, the snake embodies sexual power. To Americans, the
snake is a symbol of independence. (Don't Tread on Me)
On a practical level,
the water snake inhabits creeks and rivers, slithering up and
down the banks and becoming one with the eddy's of the river
flow. This artists' 'Creek Snake', is poised on the creek bank,
its' energy concentrated in a coil, ready to spring into the
creek.
