Proposal sketch commissioned by Eigersund Næring og Havn, 2021
Pigmented concrete
This proposal sketch developed for the harbour of Egersund is the first in a series of tidal installations, followed by Vannmåler for Bergen and Tidevannsrelieff for Sandnes.
In Eigersund their shoreline is close to something called an amphidromic point, a part of the ocean where there is almost no difference between high and low tide. This low relief is created to enhance the subtle changes where water meets land, and thus make this almost imperceptible natural spectacle more visceral for the public. Central to the project is also to create a place where one could look at scientific abstractions and their changing relation to the medium they represent.
The coloured concrete elements represent different different reference points used by the Norwegian Mapping Authority: The blue elements correspond Mean Sea Level (average level measured over 19 years), the green to Standard Zero (the level we usually refer to when speaking about meters above sea level). The yellow elements take their height from Chart Datum (what is used as zero in nautical maps) and the light and dark red elements represent Lowest Astronomical Tide and Highest Astronomical Tide. At this amphidromic point the variation from LAT to HAT is as little as plus and minus 18cm. Along the back wall of the installation the taller elements represent increase in these different water levels. This increase in water levels is calculated by the IPCC and is based on the three different projections of CO2 emmissions (used in 2021) – RCP8.5, RCP4.5 and RCP2.5.
