Dryland Projections aims to open up multiple futures and introduce a critical approach to the topic of engineering the climate: What will happen when nature becomes technology? How do microorganisms deal with climate change or the introduction of new species into their habitat? What happens if we don’t take any measures against climate change?Based on the research of both science collaborators and forecasted predictions on Spanish drylands, the artist team developed different speculative outcomes for 2052 and visualized those with an interactive screeen animation that depict almost infinite possible interactions between nature and technology.
Soil crust samples collected by the Dryland Ecology and Global Change Lab from Spain’s vast drylands in the area of Aranjuez were brought into the museum, representing an array of four possible future ecological scenarios dated to 2052.The soil samples differ in their biodiversity, depicting scenarios of abundant communities full of lichen, mosses, fungi, algae and bacteria; of unbalanced communities taken over by one species; and of reduced biodiversity leading to fragile ecosystems.
Dryland Projections aims to open up multiple futures and introduce a critical approach to the topic of engineering the climate: What will happen when nature becomes technology? How do microorganisms deal with climate change or the introduction of new species into their habitat? What happens if we don’t take any measures against climate change?Based on the research of both science collaborators and forecasted predictions on Spanish drylands, the artist team developed different speculative outcomes for 2052 and visualized those with an interactive screeen animation that depict almost infinite possible interactions between nature and technology.
The project aims also to inform the public about biotechnological developments, on which scientists are currently working and initiate a dialogue. Museum visitors will be able to give up their opinions on the topic using the screen in the installation, which will be shared with the scientists.
