Outlining the future

A chalk line shows the 100-year flood line across Third Street near the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn. (Kristy May)

By Justin Rocket Silverman, amNewYork Staff Writer | jsilverman@am-ny.com

October 22, 2007

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Eve Mosher's lessons about global warming are taught not on a chalkboard, but with a chalk line marker. Using NASA flood zone maps and projections, the Brooklyn artist spent the past five months outlining the city's flood zones -- areas expected to be submerged every four years by the 2080s. The eco-conscious art project was funded through state and local grants as a way to draw attention to the peril faced by all New Yorkers if global warming continues unchecked. Having just completed all of Brooklyn and lower Manhattan, Mosher is seeking funding to continue her ephemeral project in the other boroughs. Her works are documented at www.highwaterline.org

What motivated this project?
I had seen a photo essay on retreating glaciers, and realized the power visual imagery can have on environmental issues. And I wanted to do something with my art that really mattered.

If you don't live near a flood zone, there's no reason to worry, right?
Wrong. A surprising number of the city's power plants, water treatment centers and waste transfer stations are below the flood line. We would really have to think of rebuilding the entire infrastructure of the city.

So a lot of people might just book plane tickets and get out of town?
That could be difficult considering that both JFK and LaGuardia would be under water.

What else did you notice while drawing the line?
There are so many new developments, mostly condos, being built right along the water. If you build in San Francisco, you take into consideration earthquakes. But here in New York, they are putting up new buildings without even thinking of making them future-proof.

You must have got a lot of strange looks drawing the chalk line?
The best part of the project was the interactions I had with people. I handed out information packets on combating global warming and had great conversations with people who really are aware of the dangers facing our city. In five whole months, I met only two people who didn't believe global warming was real.

What kind of permits did you need to draw miles of chalk on public streets?
I did get permits from the Parks Department, but the city told me that as long my purpose was not to deface public property, my project is completely legal.

Is it too late to prevent the water from reaching up to your chalk outline?
We are certainly going to see more frequent flooding. But if we change our lifestyles now, there is still time to avert the worst-case scenario.

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