“What the water left behind” by Justin Chun

At first glance, these strands appear to be ordinary beads, arranged by color and shape. Yet their uneven surfaces, cloudy transparency, and irregular forms suggest something less polished and more fragile. What the Water Left Behind explores how objects can carry traces of places they once belonged to.

The blue, clear, and coral-colored pieces resemble fragments shaped by the ocean: sea glass, shells, and materials gradually softened by water and time. Once separated from their original environment and placed together, they take on a new identity. What might have been overlooked individually becomes noticeable through repetition and arrangement.

I was interested in the contrast between beauty and imperfection. No two pieces are completely identical, yet together they create a visual rhythm. The work asks us to reconsider what we call valuable. Sometimes beauty does not come from something being untouched or perfect, but from the marks left behind by where it has been.