Essay
Towards a Planetary Paradigm
How viable is the earth as a uniform model for collective imagination? #Nature’s Economies
Thijs Biersteker
Wither
A slice of rainforest disappearing at the Amazon deforestation rate. #Nature’s Economies
Dutch artist Thijs Biersteker uses the current deforestation data to control one square meter of rainforest that can disappear right in front of your eyes. Helping us to imagine the sheer scale of loss happening at this moment, in places where no one is there to watch. As the world is forced to slow down in lockdowns due to Covid-19, there is a 71% acceleration of deforestation happening in the Brazilian rainforests through the lack of enforcement as a result of the pandemic. Bringing us onto a hard to imagine 2.560 m2 of ancient rainforest that is lost each second.
Wither is built using an adaptive set of deforestation data. Controlled by the data every flickering of a leaf marks the loss of 250m2 of rainforest. Each second ten leaves disappear. The artwork is adapted to the current data coming in by the different deforestation watch groups.
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Thijs Biersteker creates interactive awareness installations about the world’s most pressing issues today. His work combines scientific research and new technologies to deliver an empowering experience that is accessible both intellectually and technologically. His immersive art installations-often described as eco- or awareness art, turn the impact of topics like climate change, air pollution, ocean plastic and the anthropocene into tangible experiences. Currently Biersteker holds a teaching position at the Delft University of Technology (NL) and a Fellowship at the VU university in Amsterdam.
