Artist-In-Residence: Sara Leopold & Alpine Sea Co
For those who’ve anchored ship in Ballard, it’s nearly impossible to live here without picturing yourself amongst the sea, sailing—the towering mast and sail guiding you to your destination, should you even have one. The dream is alive in Ballard. For the month of November we are pleased to introduce a collection of maritime inspired photography and goods. Featuring our friend Sara Leopold and her Maritime Photography Series and our friends at Alpine Sea Co, they have reclaimed some sails from Ballard Sails not far from Assembly and produced a collection they call Recover & Reissue.
On the shore of another great waterways sits Hood River. It's here you'll meet Robert & Kristin, the designers and creators behind Alpine Sea Co. They own a design studio, boutique shop and gallery space that is one part design studio & creative space and another part shop. This duo believes a product should move with you no matter where you go or how you get there. Therefore, sustainability is at the forefront of their designs and the products they curate.
When we asked them to be a part of our November Artist in Residence focused on PNW waterways, they excitedly offered to repurpose an old sail to create some bags and gifts for the holiday season. After all, Alpine Sea Co. works to "preserve the future while evolving the present" by utilizing small-batch production and recycled materials.
You can check out a hand selected collection of featured Alpine Sea Co designs and goods, as shop these limited edition bags at Assembly all month long.
The Artist |Sarah Leopold
Sara Leopold, shoots street photography, landscapes and everything in between while exploring her new environment here in the PNW, being somewhat new to the Seattle area.
“The Marina Project highlights two marinas in the Seattle waterways - Fishermen’s Terminal and the Pacific Fishermen Shipyard. My intent is to photograph the areas closest to my home because I am curious about the industry which fuels my neighborhood. So many people are ignorant of what is going on behind these doors; all of the work that is being done constantly and continuously to keep the cycle going. It’s easy to drive by and not notice the boats that line the docks because it has just become part of the landscape. I decided not to include people since I wanted to concentrate on and draw attention to the port, boats, and fishing equipment. There is a simple beauty in the way a pile of nets catches the light or the way the water ripples in the current and creates forms with shadows cast from a nearby boat or dock piling.
I hope my project helps people see the beauty in the mundane but also calls attention to the possible destructive consequences of human industry. I hope to continue to document these two areas for another winter season, without judgment, just simple curiosity leading my way.
For this project I shoot exclusively with a Hasselblad 500CM medium format camera, develop my own film, and scan and edit the images myself. Using this analog process is very important to me. “