I was super excited about the number of environmental artists on the Intersections of Art, Technology, Science & Culture links page. Both choices for my critique deal with the state of our environment and our place within the grand scheme of things. These are two of the hottest topics in my opinion. The environment and our impact on it should be something that every person is actively addressing. Furthermore I believe our environmental impact is only the most immediate display of our place in the grand scheme of things. Our profound potential has always been the starting point for most of the art projects I have been involved with.
The first, Onetrees, is divided into three sections. The largest and most dramatic section involves 1000 clones of a black walnut tree placed around San Francisco in pairs.
(http://www.onetrees.org)
This is intended to illustrate the differences between clones as a whole and between individuals in the pairs within the micro climates of the city. Spots were chosen for having a high probability of being in existence in 50 years. At this point this concept is intriguing but it wont really pack any punch for another 50 years or so. Having said that, I have to admit I love the fact that they are thinking so very long term and "big".
The second phase of the project involves a downloadable program that enables you to grow your own clone on your desktop.
Utilizing self-replicating growth algorithms and controlled by a CO2 meter plugged directly into your computer ensuring a distinct tree dictated by its environment. These trees are then uploaded into an "impossible environment" to be displayed next to one another. As a whole this is interesting, interactive and beautiful but the term "impossible environment" totally captures my imagination. Unfortunately the website offers little more than an brief description of this. This phrase has me spellbound. This section of the project gets some extremely cerebral analysis on the website. I'm afraid I don't have the scientific savvy needed to comprehend the full impact of this these lovely desktops
The last leg of the project is actually a printer virus and, I think, the most effective. The virus counts the number of pages the printer publishes till the equivalent of a tree is consumed. The program automatically prints out a slice of tree. The website labels this as "a tangible representation of tree debt". I still have chills!
The second critique is the "Welcome to the Neighborhood - Space Signpost" By Adam Nieman and futurelab.
http://www.futurelab.org.uk/showcase/neighbourhood/neighbourhood.htm
This is an interactive kiosk and directional signpost for celestial bodies. Questions are entered through a touch screen capable of 3D graphics. While two LED screens announce the celestial body's distance and location, a stream of information is made available through the touch screen. Views from earth of the object, view of earth from the object, interactive environments with time control, allowing for the viewing of sunrise or the path of moons, schematics and more allow for a thorough investigation of each location. Many are surprised when the arm points to the ground indicating the other side of the planet. For them space has always been up in the sky and not something that surrounds us. People expressed a sense of floating or a sense of placement as they explored the cosmos in relation to the very spot in Bristol, England where they stood. The whole project was developed as any community building exercise.. Target populations were established within a generous humanitarian guideline. Sixth Grade school children were even consulted as to ensure that the prototype met the needs of the general publica and the ease of its use. Part tourism part classroom, the signpost had to validate and encourage curiosity, entertain, educate, inspire, play and most of all be free.
I left that website with one thought " I WANT ONE !"
As a painter I have always had a relative small canvas or surface to cover and a limit to the tools I can use to create a mark. These two projects really do highlight how small scale my materials have been. I will now have to start to ask myself more aggressively if my message and purpose isn't better served by an upgrade in the scope of my materials.
...have fun.
:P
