IN THE MIDST OF A DISASTERCENE Framing
Ben Robinson x Emir De Jerome x Logan Van Riel
Our journey this semester has brought us together, to raise awareness about the issues that stem from natural disasters and extreme-weather events, in relation to our current management of waste materials and fossil fuels, which could be exacerbating our contributions to the Anthropocene. The Anthropocene, is the proposed current geological age, characterized by human domination of the planetary system (Malhi, 2017). Humans are changing the earth at such an alarming rate, causing mass extinctions of animals and plants. These collective changes have been so enormous and significant, that they warranted their very own epoch, a feat which would have taken millions of years, yet we have managed to accomplish in only a handful of decades. It has meant that the actual physiology of the earth we walk on, has accumulated an unimaginable array of toxic materials, that pose a threat to not just the species we share the planet with, but to our very own food chain. We ask ourselves, is this the legacy we want to leave behind for the future generations? We barely grasp how our own actions are affecting us at present, and frankly, we may never know the extent of our mistakes during our time, but the people who will call this planet home years from now, will have inherited an unprecedented problem: the possibility our own extinction as a species has never been so sobering. Natural disasters disperse devastatingly large quantities of waste materials, often over large distances, and within a very short time period. (Skinner, 2011) They reflect the reality of our own collective habits in their destruction and persistence. We are seeing more and more that, the evidence of the “butterfly effect” in all systems that make up the planet’s biology, and we need to acknowledge our role in the scheme of things and start these conversations, even if they mean conjuring pain and discomfort. Being in New Zealand, we are constantly under threat of earthquakes and cyclones and volcanic eruptions, due to being located in the ring of fire, and surrounded by the southern oceans. The effects of climate change, are especially apparent to us and our neighbors. This is an opportunity to stand-up as world leaders and innovators when it comes to tackling with these issues, that clearly affect all nations equally. One thing is for sure, we cannot solve all these complex problems on our own. We got to this point collectively, so let us help each other through these dark times, as a community. Disastercene was created through a shared vision, Ben played a role in mostly everything, but main tasks were creating the physical landscape and sound editing, as well as managing the team. Logan was in charge of TouchDesigner, our tool of choice for exhibiting the piece, and Emir was in charge of Video Editing. Working with light-based projection-mapping symbolizes our own determination in helping to lead each other out of the darkness.