Airways

There is no other human activity that emits as much CO2 over such a short period of time as aviation, thereby significantly contributing to the acceleration of global warming, releasing carbon dioxide and other greenhouse gases into the atmosphere.

Responding to an invitation to take part in the What if Climate change was Purple Project, I have created a multi-media interactive artwork in collaboration with musician (Micah Livesay) and mathematician (Chris Batterton).  Airways (2021) aims to show the environmental impact of aviation and more broadly ways in which the atmosphere is permeated at every layer by technologies of communication, transportation and scientific research.  Using the mathematics of quantum wave superposition based upon aircraft movement data in New Zealand, the installation draws attention to the mathematical and statistical models playing essential roles in evaluating the effects of human activities, while also questioning and stretching the sensorium through animated renders and a musical score.  Drawing upon creative synergies between artistic and scientific thinking, ‘Airways’ reworks dynamic acoustic exchanges (humans and birds) alongside processes of calculation /computation to better our understanding of habitat connectivity and entanglements of species/human/non-human systems and networks.

Credit: Marcel Bellvé - Animator