San Antonio is a site specific, interactive installation that engages the community of Gatlinburg TN and its visitors as they glide over Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts on the Anakeesta chair lift. This work’s title, San Antonio, refers to both Foerster’s home city, and the patron saint of lost things.

On the rooftop of the anagama kiln shed and surrounding area, Foerster has installed multiple shallow vessels with the purpose of capturing objects dropped or discarded by the passersby above. The interiors of the vessels are painted to resemble targets reminiscent of carnival games, with the intention of playfully beckoning observant travelers to engage with the work by tossing objects down from above. However, what first drew Foerster’s attention to this area was the abundance of objects that fell unintended littering the area. The concave design of the vessels allows for a reception of these intimate objects, but the brittle nature of unfired clay does not provide a safe haven.

These two inverse interactions - intentionally parting with something versus inadvertently losing something, sometimes unknowingly - serve as a reflection of the human condition and speak to themes prevalent in Foerster’s practice - separation, loss, and the profound experience of solitude.

San Antonio was on display at Arrowmont School of Arts and Crafts in the summer of 2023.