Survival of the Tallest
By Haley Metzger
Survival of the Tallest is meant to express a narrative about rising tides and localized wildlife extinctions through scenery of a flooding suburban landscape; the last stop sign still stands in the aftermath, but even that will rust and crumble and the crow will move on to dryer lands, just as people generations ahead may have no other choice but to abandon Maine’s coast as the oceans and the rivers swell due to a combination of melting ice caps and warming oceans. The Maine Geological Survey predicts potential inland flooding scenarios ranging from 1.2–10.9 feet on top of the Highest Astronomical Tide (highest possible tide when gravitational forces of the sun and moon are in alignment) of 12 feet, which is enough to flood Portland. Simply standing still against the rising tidewaters can only get one so far.