Jean Shin: Freshwater
Cherry Street Pier, Philadelphia
Philadelphia Contemporary
June 16, 2022 – November 2022
2022 Production | Exhibition Grant
Freshwater is a site-responsive sculpture commission that celebrates the crucial role of freshwater mussels in maintaining the health of Philadelphia’s major waterway, the Delaware River. Drawing on 19th century histories of industrial pollution and present-day efforts to restore mussel populations, Jean Shin constructed a series of sculptures incorporating found mussel shells and a public fountain comprised of handblown glass that contains living mussels. Drawing water from the river into glass basins housing mussels, the fountain demonstrates these animals’ extraordinary capacity to filter the waters on which Philadelphia depends. Freshwater mussels are some of the most endangered species in the United States, even as they serve as the backbone of freshwater ecologies. In the 19th century, the pearl button industry obliterated freshwater mussel populations in the Midwest, while in the northeast industrial pollution poisoned the Delaware River for a generation. Drawing on material histories and conservation science, Freshwater is a reflection on the compounding effects of industrial waste and overconsumption, as well as a tribute to the slow, necessary labor of restoration. Freshwater will be activated by programs that engage audiences in the creation of the sculptures and employ the public fountain as an educational and advocacy tool.
Founded in 2016, Philadelphia Contemporary’s mission is to connect the people and places of Philadelphia through art and partnership. Philadelphia Contemporary has mounted multidisciplinary, site-responsive projects across the city, always working in partnership with a range of collaborators, including community organizations, schools, historic sites, houses of worship, public parks, museums, and arts organizations. A core value of the organization is to work from an ethos of care for its communities and the environment, with the understanding that everything we do has a profound impact on the planet and each other.
