Casting Shadows: Life on the Embankment

Casting Shadows: Life on the Embankment is an environmental art project connecting community to nature through hands-on paper making workshops along the Jersey City Embankment. The paper created is integrated into artworks featuring non-native plants which grow on the Harsimus Branch Embankment wall.

The Embankment Wall is a wonderful wild space in Hudson County. An old railroad corridor from the early 1900’s that has been unused by humans for many years which has meadows and forests growing on the top. Invasive vines grow up from the base along the wall, and cascade down from the top. Lichen and moss inhabit the surface. Migrating birds visit the berry trees in late summer, and squirrels build nests in the winter. This urban green space is a unique urban wildlife preserve in the middle of the city.

Designed to inspire creativity and bring awareness to this unique wild habitat, my project introduces people to the Embankment while participating in the environmentally friendly art making process of hand paper making. Setting up a series of mobile paper making station along the Embankment Wall, paper pulp was created using bark fibers and recycled materials which were formed into sheets. The sheets were attached to the stone walls of the Embankment. Once dry, the papers retain the shape of the stones, and the pieces created during these workshops are incorporated into print and paper art installations, each featuring non-native plants that grow on the Embankment. The work highlights the dynamic relationship between human-made structures and evolving ecosystems. English Ivy, an invasive species growing on the Embankment wall, inspired the largest installation. This piece was exhibited in “The Embankment on My Mind” at NJCU in November 2022, and later travelled to the Five Corners Jersey City Public Library for the summer of 2023. Some of the other pieces were installed at the Hutchins Galleries at the Lawrenceville School in NJ, as part of “Uneasy Balance” an environmentally themed solo exhibit which included workshops and an artist talk for the students. Through the process of creating more paper outdoors, and exhibiting these artworks, I hope to highlight urban wildlife habitats and increase awareness about the importance of green space preservation as an important resource for all communities.