In 1991 mcdiarmid launched his first expeditionary sculptural action into the wetlands of the Chesapeake Bay near Chrisfield MD–On site over a 10 day period mcdiarmid performed for the environment a series of actions of solidarity with the organism he put at risk in his role as oil consumer and therefore a surrogate captain of the exxon Valdez
card board effigies of organisms at risk to an oil spill are danced with casting shadows onto a screen illuminated by burning a slow drip of oil and water –these effigies are then rescued and an attempt is made to remove oil from the bodies resulting in damage to the surrogates. Damaged surrogates are later exhibited alongside video documentation of the sited actions while standing at the juncture between two dark-mirrors–transparent tanks filled with used motor oil, mcdiarmid drenches his body in oil and then works to remove it using standard techniques of dawn dish-washing soap scrubs- “I was so preoccupied trying to remove the oil that kept running into my eyes that for several minutes iI failed to register that i had and was holding a mouthful of oil”The Gallery functions as a depository of documentary video and the expedition equipment that I constructed to fasilitate my actions (oil filled mirrors, folding screen, effigy puppets, all the rags and brushes I used to clean my body, and the drip burn apparatus) return as an archive of activated detritus
duane mcdiarmid 