Kevin Cooley and Phillip Andrew Lewis
2 channel 4k video projection, reconfigured sailboat remnants
2013

Through the Skies for You is inspired by the disappearance of 17th Century French Explorer Robert de La Salle’s expeditionary ship Le Griffon, and the exhaustive and ongoing quest to find this lost vessel in the depths of Lake Michigan.  Kevin Cooley and Phillip Andrew Lewis immortalize The Impatient I, an ordinary, derelict sailboat, similar in size to Le Griffon. Like many project boats, due to age, weather, and neglect, this 26' Luger Tradewinds was left to deteriorate on a farm outside of Grand Rapids. Entering into the realm of the sublime, the artists envision an alternate fate for this sailboat through a series of surreal actions in this two channel video and sculptural installation.

One channel depicts the ship's recovery from a sunken state ascending slowly from beneath the surface of the water and disappearing into the sky. At the same time the second video presents the ship in free fall out of the sky and onto dry land where it fractures on impact. As the tension between the channels continues in an infinite loop, the ship becomes caught in a perpetual state of oscillation between rejuvenation and ruin. The splintered remains of the vessel are carefully reassembled within the gallery, reminiscent of archeological artifacts or scuba diving on a shipwreck, offering new perspectives on artifice, artifact, and history.