aqueous transmission

the spirit of place.
guardian spirit.
gives life.
character.
essence.
distinctive atmosphere.
feeling.
sense of place.
what a place "wants to be".

Barbados and Caracao.

the summer after my junior year in high school, i traveled to barbados and caracao with a program called earthwatch. with this program, i worked at least 8 hours a day as a member of a team of professional researchers and volunteers where we conducted hands-on scientific investigations. specifically, i helped with a study about the behavioral and courting patterns of the damselfish of barbados found all around the carribean islands. i spent 2 weeks in barbados, and then went "island hopping" to the island of caracao. while i was in caracao, i stayed on a small catamaran anchored in a small bay on the northeast side of the island. the catamaran was my home for 2 weeks -- eating, sleeping, snorkeling every day, cleaning the boat, exploring. there was one spot on the boat that i spent a lot of my time reading, listening, and looking at the caribbean sea -- the cargo net.

i thought it was the best spot on the boat because i was basically surrounded by the water from every direction. i felt closer to the place.

this spot grew more beautiful as the days went by. i saw two of the most beautiful natural phenomena i have ever seen. while i was laying there one night, facing down towards the water, i saw the side of the boat sparkle. one fo the other volunteers told me that it wasnt the moon light that made the water "sparkle", it was bioluminescent phytoplankton. when the phytoplankton touch anything in the water, they create a sudden eerie blue light, probably as a warning to predators. i thought it was so beautiful, like the whole boat was "sparkling" ontop of the water. another night, while lying in the net, after the daily rainstorm passed, i saw a rainbow created by the light of the moon. i have never seen or heard of this before in my life, but the clear sky and the ultra-bright moon made it possible.

these experiences are the genius loci of the cargo net. these phenomena give life to the netted space. they give it essence, character, feeling, spirit, and a peaceful, complex, unique atmosphere.