Swept Away

From the Tongues of Moon Snails to the Ocean

September 2022

Across the continents, the sea has offered up its glory and luster to us since time immemorial. We have happily partaken of its infinite riches and allure.

I was invited to be a part of Swept Away and received a “love letter” from my Los Angeles collaborator, Allison Wyper. Over the late summer weeks, I have been collecting clam shells with natural holes in them along the beaches of Long Island’s east end.

I discovered that clams share space under the seashore sands with moon snails, which are predators of clams. The tongues of moon snails bore holes in closed clam shells and devour the clam. This violence in nature results in an exquisite shell. This phenomenon – at once symbiotic and adversarial – inspires and provokes, as this is the natural embodiment of life. Using the collected clam shells, along with biodegradable hemp, this is my spun tapestry. It is my humble intention to offer this creation back to the ocean, illuminated by lights and invoking infinite gratitude.

Life began in and is sustained by this water. I invite you to offer to return a small something back, in gratitude and appreciation. Please give thanks, make a wish, a prayer, an invocation. Send it off.

-Tanya Minhas

Thank you to Ronald Guttman.

Neidich, Warren. "Swept Away: Love Letter to a Surrogate(s)." Guild Hall, 10 Sept. 2022.