Sea-Level Rise Artists Talk On Climate Change - EcoFest West: CANCELLED

“Sea-level Rise” presents the Pacifica Mamas, Rebecca Swan and Janine Randerson on artist Sarah Cameron Sunde. Discover the impact of rising sea-levels on Pacific material culture, ecological systems of the American West Coast and the oceanic reach of climate change.

Rebecca Swan is a photographic and installation artist that is committed to sustainability. While completing her recent Fulbright Wallace Residency in San Francisco she off-set her trip by making 16 tonnes of compost. Intentionally making work that is light on the planet, she works with materials found in, and returned to the environment, while exploring other regenerative means of creating work. This includes the evocative collaboration “Osmosistem” with composer Charlie Ha. Her poignant work produced from her residency highlights the vital role of the bull-kelp forests off the coast of California, now declining dramatically due to environmental factors, including rising sea-levels.

The Pacifica Mamas are an acclaimed collective of pacific heritage artists. They are hugely inspiring in practicing sustainable solutions and sharing highly skilled, diverse knowledge from a wide variety of islands such as Cook Islands, Tuvalu, Kiribati, Tokelau, Tonga, Samoa and Niue. The impact of sea-level rises is very real for the people of such islands, bringing into question how material culture and practices can be kept alive when populations are facing such up-heaval as re-location. A stunning project is the giant ei (garland) of upcycled woven plastic that draped the Town Hall last year. Generously produced in collaboration with West Auckland children and communities sharing pacific stories together, this work was named “Adornment from the Moana, adornment from the deep blue sea”.

Janine Randerson is a pioneering voice on art and climate change via both her own art practice and her academic interests; her book “The Weather As Medium: Toward a Meteorological Art” was published by MIT Press in 2018. For this talk, Janine will be speaking about the extraordinary performance work of Sarah Cameron Sunde: “36.5 - A durational Performance with the Sea”. Visiting New York-based artist Sarah Cameron Sunde will stand in the Manukau waters for a full tidal cycle, continuing her international project spanning seven years and six continents. Her performance will be filmed and a final exhibition presented at Te Uru gallery.

The above artists will come together for the last session of West AKL Artist talks at Green Bay Community House to share about their practices and highlight the pressing concerns of climate change and sea-levels rising.

Photo credit: Osmosistem installation by Rebecca Swan and Charlie Ha.
Brought to you by ArtSpark.

Accessible by bus.
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This event is part of EcoFest West 2020, a month-long celebration of our stunning environment. Check out more than 120 events at EcoFest website.