New work: A water-led storytelling in the driest bed of an ancient sea
A multimodal research considering this site, the the Atacama desert- once an ancient inland sea ringed by volcanos- now the driest desert in the world, where the salty crust and the underground brine water recalls its deep past as a sea, rich in lithium salts.
Artist-led research working across scientific fields of knowledge and institutions. With the EU Joint Research Centre for Science (JRC), Ispira, in the research territories of global surface water imaging and economics of mineral extraction in South America, as well as extremophile microbiologists at the University of Antofagasta and ground water experts at the IGRAC (Global Groundwater Information System).
Above: WITH SALT AND ROCKS IN OUR VEINS
Highlights from documentation of installation, in NaturArchy, IMAL, @IMAL, Art Centre for Digital Cultures and Technology, Brussels until 24Sept 2024
Research Background:
Field research was undertaken in the Atacama desert, with a video outcome, Before Air There Was Water, commissioned for the SACO Bienale
On fieldwork two saline lagoons were selected to make two photogrametry based digital twins. One lagoon from the centre of the Atacama Salare, currently underthreat from lithium mining and the second in the Altiplano, under future threat from the recent government expansion of lithium water mining rights in this area of Chile.
Conversations with economists and programers led to the idea of a ewb crawler based interactive system.
Consolidating time spent with microbiologicsts, Dr Cristina Dorador, and Dr Benito Gómez-Silva, University of Antofagasta, courtesy of SACCO Bienale, Antofagasta, Chile.
Time spent with Dr Alan Belward and the JRC Global Water team, using the Global Surface Water app. and Ecological economist, Dr. Michele Graziano Ceddia, JRC. Courtesy of the JRC European Commission SciArt Resonances Project IV: NaturArchy
Conversations with Dr Elisabeth Lictevout, IGRAC, International Groundwater Resources Assessment Centre, Netherlands.
Below: Before Air There Was Water/ Antes del aire hubo agua
4-channel video and sound installation, Museo del Mar, University of Antofagasta
The first phase of this research for SACO Bienal, GOLPE/ COUP Chile, June – Sept 19th 2023
Note1: Using the lithium water footprint calculations published by Investigative journalist site, Danwatch, the lithium used in technology for this project was extracted by evaporating somewhere between 80 and 400,000 L brine water. (The range indicates how sparce is the brine water data released by mining companies).
Scientific collaborators:
University of Antofagasta; Dr Benito Gómez-Silva, Biochemistry Laboratory, Biomedical Department
Dr Cristina Dorador, Department of Biotechnologia.
Joint Research Centre, EU (JRC) through the Resonances Sci-Art Project
Artistic collaborators:
Digital worldbuilding and programming undertaken by Nathan Marcus
References, links, info
http://latinamericanscience.org/2014/07/the-atacama-deserts-diamonds-in-the-rough/
Endangered Salares: micro-disasters in Northern
Chile Cristóbal Bonelli & Cristina Dorador
https://phys.org/news/2015-08-architecture-aquifers-chile-atacama.html
https://www.saltworkconsultants.com/salar-de-atacama-chile/
https://danwatch.dk/en/undersoegelse/how-much-water-is-used-to-make-the-worlds-batteries/
https://www.inverse.com/science/microbes-atacama-desert
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