User:Catalina/Self Directed/Research

1.Last Project: I worked on questions about if it is possible to remember our human origin as one more species on the Earth and assemble again a connection with the natural ecosystems under the use of visual arts as a tool? There, I explored concepts as Biophilia, Solastalgia and Anthropocene. Later I continued working on Anthropocene, but this time I explored one chapter of the Earth history that took place during the Quaternary, the last 2.6 million years before the present and make a connection with Anthropocene. The current geological period of time. There, I made a research summary about the history of the plants, ecology and climate change cycles from the Plesitocene, Holocene and Anthropocene (2.6 million years) in the Andes Mountains. I focused on changes in this ecosystems for the last two glacial cycles, which means about the last 250.000 years ago and I make a connection with the anthropocene and the current climate change. All this topics make connection with the ecological crisis and depletion of natural resources that our system have made mainly the last century. This have had consequences on the increment in the wild flora and fauna extinction rates and also the current global warming and climate change.

I finished with artists working on ecological topics since 1970 as land art, eco-art and anthropocene the last 10 years. I question “how to write a new history with the knowledge and the need to change we have now but also the faster development of technologies to mend this broken balance between the earth and us?".

[S: You are very clear about the issues, but I miss a description of the piece. a) What form did it take? b) Why did it take that form?]

I have been working with video mapping projection and Earth Installations, I did these pieces between 2011 and 2017

1. “Lluvia de Polen” A collaboration with Holly Findlater

Lluvia de Polen means Pollen rain. It is an art installation that was displayed on 7th December 2011 at the annual open studios at the Research Center in Digital Arts (DARC), University of California, Santa Cruz. The wooden structure shaped beehive cell evokes the earth and sphere-shaped pendulum hints pollen and pollen rain that takes place on earth at all times. The group of photographs that are part of the installation is based on the different Andean Ecosystems of Colombia.

2. “Verde oscuro” is a metaphor about the history of the place a building occupies today. The piece lasts 13 minutes using video and music that evoke the ecological history of DARC’s place in three eras: the past, the present and the future. While the live plants installation indoors and outdoors intends to create an environment to perceive and feel the inherent goodness of plants, and also to disperse native California plants in order to raise environmental community awareness.

3."Fluctuations" is a allegory symbolizing the Ecosystems that happened in a cliff's place in Santa Cruz, California, during different periods of time before today.

4. “Naturalmente” is a mapping projection on a balloon, it is about the happiness concept in a sense of well-being and connectedness with others and the environment. The ballon is a methaphor about the Earth.

2 Current Work: I am focusing on the use of visualization in Science and the connection between science and arts. I am interested in animation and data processing visualization as a tool.

[what sort of visualizations will you be making?] [what sort of tool?] [what will your first visualization be about?]

[S: visualisation is a material practice. a) I want to know what it will be made of, b) what forms of display and c) why did you choose particular methods over others?]

I will make a visualization about the Andes ecosystems for the last two glacial cycles (250.000 years before present). I will focus mainly in belt snow, belt paramos and belt andean forest. For this visualization I will experiment with animation and data visualization, which I never used before and I want to explore. The story will be about 5 minutes film to visualize how changes on these three ecosystems go up and down connected and disconected in the andes cordilleras and changed on time. I will make a big scale view and then a closer into an specific lake to see details about plants and I will use evolutive concepts as a methaphor of change and speciation. I will explore 3d data visualization softwares, and for animation Cinema 4d, and After Effects. The difference with other pieces from past works is the tools I will use and also I will focus in an special Ecosystem close to my hearh and also based on 50 years of research and theories I was part of as a researcher.

3. Future Work: I am interested in science fiction and futuristic fictions or visions of the Earth. As well I want to go deep in artists working on the same topic and find inspirations going deep in their works.

[what sort of projects will you make to accompany the research?] [what form will it take? installation, or film or infographics?]

I will continue exploring animation and data visualization, as well I will continue experimenting with photography and mixing all of them. The form I want to use for thesis is an installation using animation, and physical organisms as soil and plants. I want ot explore projecting on different shapes and materials.

Questions: What is the content of the thesis (project proposal is the same or they are different documents) The essays we have been working on?

How it is connected?: I have been exploring before past, present and future ecosystems, from science and arts. I have explored installation, video art- mapping projection and nature photography. I am still interested the same question. I believe that communicate through the use of arts the importance of ecosystems, biodiversity and wildlife will create awareness about what we are doing with the resources we as humans depend on. I believe it is possible to make changes and create a new address with balance between our civilization and the Earth.

[what art projects are you working on for this?] A visualization about the Andes ecosystems for the last two glacial cycles (250.000 years before present). I will focus mainly in belt snow, belt paramos and belt andean forest. For this visualization I will experiment with animation and data visualization, which I never used before and I want to explore. The story will be about 5 minutes film to visualize how changes on these three ecosystems go up and down connected and disconected in the andes cordilleras and changed on time. I will make a big scale view and then a closer into an specific lake to see details about plants and I will use evolutive concepts as a methaphor of change and speciation. I will explore 3d data visualization softwares, and for animation Cinema 4d, and After Effects. The difference with other pieces from past works is the tools I will use and also I will focus in an special Ecosystem close to my hearh and also based on 50 years of research and theories I was part of as a researcher.

It is connected with Art in Anthropocene, Environmental Art, an expression coined as an umbrella term to encompass eco-art/ecological art, ecoventions, land art, earth art, earthworks, art in nature.

I am also interested in Educational Art and its use as a Political tool to make planeation decisions on Ecosystems. I believe that visualizing the past we will understand the present and take decisions about the future of the planet.

[what will be your next visual project?]

A visualization about the Andes ecosystems for the last two glacial cycles (250.000 years before present). I will focus mainly in belt snow, belt paramos and belt andean forest. For this visualization I will experiment with animation and data visualization, which I never used before and I want to explore. The story will be about 5 minutes film to visualize how changes on these three ecosystems go up and down connected and disconected in the andes cordilleras and changed on time. I will make a big scale view and then a closer into an specific lake to see details about plants and I will use evolutive concepts as a methaphor of change and speciation. I will explore 3d data visualization softwares, and for animation Cinema 4d, and After Effects. The difference with other pieces from past works is the tools I will use and also I will focus in an special Ecosystem close to my hearh and also based on 50 years of research and theories I was part of as a researcher.

Context: Artistic, cultural, political

Inspiration: Artists on Art in Anthropocene, Environmental Art, an expression coined as an umbrella term to encompass eco-art/ecological art, ecoventions, land art, earth art, earthworks, art in nature.

Video Artists, Mapping Projection Artists.