SCOPE: Theater of Collaborative Survival
Detroit Science Gallery, June-August 2019
Elizabeth Hénaff, Heather Parrish, and Léonard Roussel
Custom made laser microscope (laser, electronics, drip mechanism)Sludge scapes (glass jar, sediment from the Gowanus Canal including algae, worms, crustaceans)Cyanotype and UV responsive prints (exposed photosensitive paper, screenprinted mylar)Generative spatialized sound scape (eight channel sound system)
How can we imagine partnerships with unusual organisms for collaborative survival on our changing planet? This installation is centered on a set of aquariums, each containing living microenvironments sampled from the Gowanus Canal. The environment of the Gowanus Canal in Brooklyn, NY, is emblematic of the many post-industrial Superfund sites across the country. These sites were once important spaces for production and manufacturing industries that have since changed locations, leaving behind a material, economic, and social legacy of toxicity. However, the sediment of the Gowanus Canal contains communities of microorganisms adapted to these seemingly uninhabitable industrial conditions. This unique microbiome encodes bioremediation functions such as the degradation of hydrocarbons and industrial solvents, revealing a vibrant ecosystem in conditions previously considered devoid of life. Its microscopic residents are brought to life through enlarged photoreactive prints, self-generative sound, and live microscopy visuals. Here we explore the multiple facets of the complex relationship we have with contaminated waterways: its impact on the environment, on human health and well-being, the sense of place, the politics of pollution and gentrification and the translation of scale necessary to comprehend microscopic ecologies.
