on 5.972×10^24 kg (call/response)
(5.972×10^24 kg is the mass of Earth)
on 5.972×10^24 kg (call/response) is an installation that documents a collaboration with
other species. It comprises the following four distinct sections
that surround the viewer: (see below for more info on each work). It can be adapted to variety of room sizes and floorplans.
on 5.972(2025)
NOTE: all works are in 4K, though compressed for various bandwidth play here.
Details
To be seen directly in front of viewer upon entry:
Call/Response:, Órbitas
On the left of the dyptich Call/Response: Órbitas 2003/2023, the image shows the site of Órbitas, (The site was clearcut in the ~70's),
this satelite image is from in 2004, seven years before Fiona aquired the land in 2011. It shows slow and uncharacteristic flora having had it's topsoil washed
away during many rainy seasons.
On the right hand side, the same site is pictured from 2023 after a decade of careful soil restoration and observance of indigenous flora by the artist.
to the right:
a video of the 'before', showing the first day Fiona set foot on the land in 2011, just before she aquired it. It was inundated with invasive Giant Thatching Grass or
Jaragua (Hyparrhenia rufa) and devoid of other flora or fauna.
Giant Thatching Grass or Jaragua (Hyparrhenia rufa) is native to tropical and subtropical Africa. With some help, Fiona hand pulled all of the thatch grass (more than 1/2
an acre) that plagued the land and choked out indigenous flora and fauna. Thanks to bird and reptile droppings, soil rehabilitation, and after years of weeding the copious
sprouting thatch grass and encouraging native species, myriad plants slowly began to fill in the site, and the area was transformed into a verdent, diverse habitat.
the same area is seen in the video 4,383... a detail...in 2021 and in Fauna (see below).
4,383...
This is a micro shot of the same spot, now a repopulated meadow. It is presented in real-time, drawing attention to what is normally stepped upon, rather than paid close attention to.
4,383 is number of days between Fiona first setting foot on the land and the day Fiona had to leave her home (due to mold infected lungs). Orbitas is now under new stewards
who continue to protect and enhance habitat for the diverse species now calling it home.
On the south wall is Fauna
(it is positioned on the south wall so that when you walk in through a shore light tunnel, it is not immediatley seen). Fauna is a mosaic of looping video vignettes of the flora and fauna, mostly insects, that re-populated Orbitas
over the 11 year period that Bowie worked on restoration of the once-clear cut site. They are back-projected through ovoid screen portals
by micro projectors mounted on shelves behind a false wall.
The vignettes vary in length, some up to 5 minutes long with others compilations of short clips. Some are made up of live shots, while others
are made up of still images. Each live clip has diegetic sound marking the environs and any music, animal, bird or insect sounds when the
footage was captured, creating a micro cacophony of sound.
Examples of vignettes:
Examples of longer moving image vignettes:
Examples of shorter moving image vignettes:
An example of still image vignettes:
(you can see and read about the restoration project in more detail here: The Flats, here:
Plano Verde and here Orbitas)
Fauna
(2016-21)
Call/Response illustrates how quickly nature can bounce back when nutured and left to recover.
Fiona hand pulled (with some help) all of the thatch grass that plagued the land and choked out indigenous flora and fauna.
After years of work, pulling sprouting thatch grasses and encouraging native species that slowly began to grow (thanks to bird and reptile droppings,
and soil rehabilitation), the area was transformed into a verdent, diverse habitat.
You can see the before and after of the same area of the site to your left. On the left hand side, shows the first day Fiona set foot on the land. The right hand side 4,383... shows the same area in 2021.
Both and Response(2023),illustrates how quickly nature can bounce back
when nutured and left on its own to recover. (1+)Response: Orbitas is Bowie's record of her own year terra rehabilitation she undertook by collaborating with other organisms (from 2011-2022)
of her Órbitas project in Guanacaste, Costa Rica. Fauna is a video compilation of the flora and fauna, mostly insects, that re-populated Orbitas over the 11 year period that Bowie worked on
restoration of the once-clear cut site.
(you can see and read more about the project here: The Flats, here: Plano Verde and here Orbitas)
