Unexpected collaboration
Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn
Of all the photographs I took in 2008, there is one in particular that I still think about quite a bit. This image has haunted me, in a way. I came upon the scene, near the beach in Sheepshead Bay, in February of 2008, and photographed it as I found it. I’ve never been able to figure out exactly what was going on, but the image has been in my mind ever since.
I knew at the time that it was no accident; the sheet was tied this way for a reason. But I had no way of knowing why it was there.
I’ve returned to this small strip of beach and woods a few times since then, and I continue to discover oddities. Certain patterns, most notably knots, tend to crop up again and again. Bits of string, ribbon, and plastic are tied to the trees for over a half mile down the beach. Other strange objects: a piece of wood hanging from a rope; a garden of tiny, dead Christmas trees in the middle of the woods; a handmade wooden cross stuck into a sand dune.
I have no idea who this person is, or their motivation, but I have decided to collaborate with them anonymously. They probably won’t ever know that someone has noticed what they are doing, but to me, there is something here worth preserving.
Sheepshead Bay, Brooklyn
January 12, 2009