And so it is that the vast sea has forever captured the human imagination. Living much of his life surrounded by ocean in Rhode Island, 'the Ocean State', the sea has always had a powerful influence on Weinberg and his work. His original abstracted boat forms seen below were inspired in part by the cross sections of boat hulls. Imbued with streaming bubbles heading for an unreachable surface, the boat hull becomes indistinguishable from the surrounding water that defines its purpose.
Earthy and solemn, with weather scarred surfaces and gritty textures that are incredibly lifelike, the buoys are the working symbols of the sea's corrosive beauty. Cast from found objects, their diverse shapes reflect differing cultural stories but speak of a singular purpose: the sea as a way of life.
Steven Weinberg has always been interested in ocean and sea themes. Exploring abstract water concepts through the complex use of trailing spheres and suggested motion, his early boat forms were inspired by the cross sections of boat hulls. More direct references were struck with the introduction of his critically acclaimed buoy series.