The installation Fragments: Tidal Memories, 2025, by Jeewi Lee and Phillip C. Reiner features three unique sculptures, each representing individual sand grains enlarged between 1000 and 3000 times – one originating directly from Dadaepo Beach, two from different continents – creating a dialogue between local geological specificity and planetary material histories. Positioned at the border where water meets land, these monumental works embody sand’s essential mobility between permanence and transformation.
As the second most-consumed resource after water, sand moves from natural abundance into technological necessity. The silicon chips enabling global connection begin as coastal grains that remember ancient mountain ranges; concrete cities require such precise mineral compositions that desert nations import sand across oceans, seeking specific geological histories that only certain shores provide.
Lee’s investigation of trace and disappearance intersects with Reiner’s analysis of natural systems. Together, they employ scanning technologies developed for industrial precision, repurposing these tools to reveal complex geometries underlying natural and technological formation. The project advances scanning methodologies developed for the Field of Fragments series, applying nano-CT technology with Zeiss equipment to capture sand grains at unprecedented resolution.
The escalation from previous works at 130-230x (Fragments, 2024) and 600-850x (Fragments Proximity, 2024) to 1000-3000x enlargement represents a significant technological and conceptual advancement in revealing geological memory at monumental scale.

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Images: Jeewi Lee and Phillip C. Reiner