Streams Move Oceans 2019

Zahrah Al-Ghamdi made this wall hanging installation, called *Streams Move Oceans*, out of small rounded materials that look like cotton or foam. I can just picture her arranging and attaching hundreds of these pieces to build the larger form. Her focus is on accumulation, each small element contributes to the overall effect. It starts high up on the wall and cascades down to pool on the floor. It's like a waterfall made out of cotton. I imagine Al-Ghamdi thought about how the steady flow of water can carve a landscape over time. She must have been pondering themes of nature, transformation and the power of collective action. It’s as if she is saying that incremental actions, like those small pieces, eventually make the difference. Other artists have used repetition and accumulation to make their point, like Felix Gonzales-Torres with his piles of candy. This piece is part of that conversation, showing how individual parts come together to make something monumental.