Archive for category Science
News Art – OUR DYING EARTH
Posted by Heidi in Environment, Science on July 31, 2010
Scientists announced this week that microscopic life is dying out. Apparently this could be catastrophic, not only because of the logistical nightmares of the tiny, tiny funerals but also because this life is crucial to the marine food chain. They believe it is caused by global warming.
This made me wonder how many terrible warning signs we are going to have to have before the world agrees on the dangers of global warming.
I wanted to send a message about the fragility of our home, that is, the earth, which is, this planet, ie. the globe.
Microscopic Life is Dying Out
I made a replica of a house out of sand. In this photo you can see the living room I built.
I then moved a family into the home. Within a day wind erosion and the rising tide had completely devastated the house.
When they queried where their home had gone, and why they had so much sand in their underwear, I told them it was a metaphor about the temporary nature of the earth as a home if we continue to ignore global warming.
It was also then my legal duty to inform them that, as I had found them through the Council Housing waiting list, they had now technically been given a council home. If they wanted another one (that wasn’t riddled with old crisp packets and used needles) they would have to rejoin the waiting list, with another roughly eight years waiting time.
As they sobbed and shouted it warmed my heart (quicker than any build up in CO2 levels could) to see that my message about global warming had finally gotten through to someone.
If only I could make more people homeless, and quicker, I think I would be able to make a real difference.
May 22nd – DR CRAIG VENTOR IN AMERICA HAS CREATED AN ARTIFICIAL ORGANISM
Posted by Heidi in NewsART Highlights, Science on May 31, 2010
Researcher Craig Venter unveiled the self replicating bacteria cell calling it a ‘powerful tool’ for designing biology.
Self replicating bacteria cells
I was appalled when I read this headline. I felt that the criticis who said this was man playing God and a danger to our future existence were absolutely right. It was only after I had finished this sculpture that I realised I had misread the title as ‘artificial orGASM’ rather than the orGANISM it speaks of.
This set of fountains were intended to represent what I felt would be the regimented and soulless love-making humans would experience if they were to use artificial orgasms created by some scientist in a lab. I put them in exactly equally spaced rows, their water ejaculating from the earth in steady, planned and above all, dull streams.
Unfortunately, as mentioned, this is not the actual news story. I have left the fountains in place at Somerset House, London, in the hope that they make a similar statement about the soulless concept of scientists creating human life. Perhaps artificial organisms would also have dull sex lives.
April 26 – STEPHEN HAWKING WARNS AGAINST CONTACTING ALIENS
Renowned physicist Stephen Hawking has repeated his belief that intelligent aliens are likely to exist, and that a visit by them would probably have unfortunate consequences for us.
He considers it an extremely unwise move for present-day humanity to attract the attention of such voyagers – by such efforts as the controversial practice of beaming out “Active SETI” signals.
ARTWORK: Surprise
What Stephen Hawking is bringing into sharp focus here is our innate curiousity and its battle with our fear of the unknown. I decided to do an art experiment. I set this up in the Imperial War Museum and said it was a WWI periscope used in the trenches. I invited people to look into the viewfinder, alleging there to be a lovely view awaiting them. When they looked they were confronted instead by hard core pornography.
Immediately after viewing the 32 full frontal shots of penises people were asked what they thought of aliens. Almost all responses were in the negative, with most viewers rating aliens between 0 and 4 out of 10.