As the viewer approaches the work they see a digitized copy of a daguerreotype of “Joseph Avery stranded in the Niagara River, taken by Platt D. Babbitt in 1853. Avery was swept from a boat in the rapids and clung to a log for nearly 18 hours before succumbing to the river. Babbitt, a photographer at Prospect Point, captured this moment in a series of daguerreotypes. The images were later used to document the tragic event, with Avery eventually being swept over the falls during a rescue attempt.

In my version Avery remains stranded on the log as long as the viewer stands in front of the work, should they move away Avery slips off the rock.