about the project

thespillsmiths.org is a two part awareness project created in response to the 2010 gulf oil spill. Part one is an art, jewelry, and video installation project which was held at Mr. Beast Gallery in Savannah, GA, November 4-9, 2010. Part two is the online interactive education platform, thespillsmiths.org, which includes documentation of the Savannah project and an online retail store where visitors can buy jewelry to support gulf oil spill clean-up efforts.





exhibition






A Photo Process Journal:


Rendering of Ocean Installation

Envisioning the oceans. 

An early rendering of the 
components of the exhibition space

The Spill Smiths .Org
November 4-9, 2010 
1522 Bull St. Savannah, GA 31401
ph. 404.926.6607 

Exhibition Schedule
Mr. Beast Gallery hours: Mon - Fri 1-6pm, Sat 1-4pm. 

Thursday, November 4th -
     1pm - Exhibition opens to public. 
     6pm - Panel Discussion including panelists from environmental organizations, industry and the scientific community.

Friday, November 5th - 
     5pm - Lecture by oil spill environmental response expert, followed by question and answer session.
     6pm - Opening reception  

Saturday, November 6th -     
     2pm - Artist Talk

Sunday, November 7th - 
     Gallery closed

Tuesday, November 9th -
     6pm - Exhibition closes to public















10/5
Gallery Booked
Today we booked the gallery. Renderings and installation plans are being finalized.  Our events schedule is shaping up and our 














jewelry 
prototypes are going to the laser cutter tomorrow. Marketing and PR for the exhibition is just starting to hit its stride. Please share our website and help us get the word out. More images and updates will be rolled out soon! Check back.



9/30
A Gallery? 
The folks who run Mr. Beast (the beautiful gallery space we're booking) are intelligent and professional. Now that we’ve measured the walls we can “go Nerd” and design the installation down to the inch. It's a bright white open space - we're really looking forward to November!


9/30
Preliminary concept sketches are leaking out now for the design of the Spill Jewelry. The refined final pieces will be for sale under the “Awareness Badges” page. Funds raised are dedicated to charitable organizations operating in the Gulf to mitigate the damage inflicted by the spill. 

You can PRE-ORDER your piece in support of our project - they’ll ship out after completion of the exhibit in November. 






9/29
In lead-up to the Spill...
It looks like a great new gallery space is available, so we’re keeping our fingers crossed and envisioning some elements for this environment. Here are a few sketches:




9/27
Oily = nasty...
This petroleum-based material is aesthetically challenging - the fluid movement is enticing, but it is a tactile nightmare. To touch it is to recognize on a visceral, animal level, how lethal the "Oil" must be as it relentlessly smothers every wrinkle of your skin. The stickiness is astonishing - quite genuinely terrifying.
Which is why we use gloves to tease out the properties of this material. Here are some images from our early curiosities: