ARTIST STATEMENT

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I remember the devastating feeling that I had a few years ago when I learned that the life of the Earth depends on the value '1.5' that seemed infinitesimal. What '1.5' means is that life in the ecosystem is maintained only when the global average temperature rise does not exceed 1.5 degrees compared to the pre-industrial revolution age’s temperature. The latest research shows that the global surface temperature from 2011 to 2020 have increased 1.09°C than that of 1850-1900. If the current pattern of human life does not change drastically, the surface temperature of the Earth is expected to exceed 1.5 degrees by 2040.

 

The Covid-19 not only exposed the social, political, economic, racial, and hierarchical problems of each society but also revealed uncomfortable relationships between humanity and the Earth that human progress was based on the loss of nature. We have expanded over Nature's sacrifices without its consent. As a result of our long-term exploitation, we have entered an unprecedented age of "human-to-nature" disaster. For me, Covid-19 seems to be just the prelude to the catastrophe era. We have already resulted in massive forest fires, ocean acidification, virus outbreaks, food crises, and rising sea levels that threaten our survival. The collapse of the existing ecosystem and environmental changes will accelerate further, and the climate crisis will eventually determine the survival of the global ecosystem in the coming decades. If it exceeds 1.5 degrees Celsius, half of the world's population’s life could be no longer guaranteed. 

 

If the human body temperature exceeds 1 degree from the average, the body starts to ache, and if it exceeds 1.5 degrees, it could develop serious damage. The same goes for the Earth. It is frustrating that we are pursuing infinite expansion, ignoring the obvious truth that humans and nature resemble more than anything else. Rather than acknowledging this simple truth, we are overwhelmed by limitlessly expanding artificial values such as stock market and Bitcoin data as if there is no limit in exploiting nature. It is imperative to re-connect and re-scale human and non-human beings with the logic of life to understand the correlation between humans and the environment. All we have left is 0.4.

 

My work '0.4' depicts nature's mysterious energy and captures the uncomfortable scene that symbolizes what would possibly happen after '1.5.' Then, the work ends by filling up a huge screen with the 'warming stripe'. This is to remind us of our current status quo. Healing only for humans is no longer meaningful. Understanding the implications of 0.4 can be a clue to healing humanity and nature together, and enabling our future.

 

Even if it cannot be a practical solution to change our future, I believe that art can be an inspiration to guide us. I hope this project launching at the beginning of 2022, will be a small step toward the healing of the biosphere that includes us.

 

 

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[1] Warming stripes are data visualization graphics that use a series of coloured stripes chronologically ordered to visually portray long-term temperature trends. It is originally published by the climatologist Ed Hawkins.

For more information about Warming Stripe >>

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To read in pdf EN/KOR >>