The proposed Back Cove floating art project (aka “Shifting Tides”) is being delayed a year. That’s the good news! Better news would be that TEMPOart would rethink the project and find a more suitable location.

The artist, Matthew Mazzotta, is said to have “pulled off similar projects in the past,” the Press Herald recently reported, but there are major differences between Back Cove and the sites of two similar Mazzotta projects, described as: transforming “a blighted property in … Alabama” and converting “an abandoned storefront in … Nebraska.”

If Mr. Mazzotta and TEMPOart would observe Back Cove, they would see that it is not a blighted, abandoned property. It is free and open to the public. It is enjoyed by people of diverse cultures and varying life stages. Back Cove hosts 5K races and serves as the start and finish lines for the annual Maine Marathon.

Back Cove is a natural, beautiful part of Portland. In the summer, it is a rich feeding ground for egrets, herons and ducks. The city of Portland and residents have invested millions of dollars to clean up the cove so that nature is preserved and can be enjoyed by all.

Would “Shifting Tides” undo the tranquility of the cove and introduce more litter as napkins, paper cups and plates blow off the floating dock? It appears that four large walls of “Shifting Tides” are upright at certain times in the cycle. Would the strong currents, winds and whitecaps across Back Cove put the art in danger of breaking apart, damaging property or passers-by? Have the artist and his backers watched sailboats keel as strong winds beat against sails?

Perhaps they could find quieter tidal water in a blighted location that needs refurbishing and could then draw people to an unused, unappreciated area.

Jennifer O’Donnell

Portland

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