Amid sea level rise, dunes play a vital role in protecting the 18 miles of Long Beach Island in New Jersey. Unique wildlife can also be found here. In this short video, I stay off the literal dunes, instead foraging for materials at their base. Earth art invites the artist to meditatively collaborate with the existing ecosystem to create something beautiful and respectful of the land.

At the same time, the art sector (painting, fashion, etc.) can be incredibly unsustainable. Earth art, by contrast, is ephemeral and thus symbolic of nature itself. Because the materials come from the Earth, they return to it quickly. Though the piece will soon become a pile scattered by the wind, it is striking how leaves and rocks can be arranged to depict a face for just a few brief moments in their eons on this land.