In the Shed Gallery in New York City, a balloon measuring 95 feet in circumference is found. It is enclosed by two large metal nets. Two mesh nets suspended in the air appear suspended from the ground: one 48 feet high and one 12 feet high. This series of metal sculptures is called Free the Air by Tomas Saracenos.
Free the Air is a sensory experience that runs from February 11th until April 17th. It is not an art gallery or exhibit. You can admit 45 people at once and stay in the room for up to eight minutes. They lie on the mesh nets and the lights are dimmed. With their vision reduced, they have to rely on their senses.
Saraceno stated that when the lights go out, you become blind like a web-builder because they have poor vision. You feel the vibrations.
Saraceno is a scientist and an artist as well. He is passionately interested in both solar-powered balloons (spiders) and has published scholarly work. According to the New York TimesSaraceno believes that these subjects give direct access into the mystery of the universe, and offer an escape from anthropocentric, gravity bound thinking.
Saraceno now lives in Germany, but was born in Argentina. Due to a military overthrow in Argentina, Saraceno’s father was held for nine months. His family fled to the Italian countryside. His inspiration for future scientific and artistic projects came from this turbulent time. In an interview with The, he stated that we occupied the second and threerd floors of a 500-year old house with a crawly attic. New York Times. You could see light through the windows and dust in air. The web is an extension of the spider. It was something that fascinated me.
Saraceno’s work is not the only one that incorporates a sensory-based, environmental focus. Many other visual artists use similar techniques to send a message. Robert Irvin, James Turrell and Doug Wheeler, Light and Space artists, pioneered environmental art. All of them used sensory perception in their works. These artists use the environment around them, and often their scientific studies, to engage with the public through an experience. Their artwork is centered on the question of whether humanity will need to change their daily routines or adapt to a changing planet.
Other environmental artists are also from the near and far, their work spans across the globe. Olafur Eliasson is a close friend of Saracenos and has produced works like The Weather Project (2003) and Algae Window (2010). The Weather Project, his most famous work, allows viewers to experience all types and weather with a sense of magic, whimsy, and magic. Eliassons studio, like Saraceno’s, is located in Berlin, Germany. His work centers around climate change and the planet.
Clark University is closer to the Interspecies Assembly (2021), sculpture series in Central Park created by SUPERFLEX. It is another example of environmental artwork. SUPERFLEX was founded in 1993 by Jakob Fenger and Bjrnstjerne Christen. It aims to create a new urbanism that places emphasis on animals and plants, rather than human beings. This is achieved through energy systems, sculptures and infrastructure, as well as paintings, nurseries, contracts and public spaces. They collaborate with gardeners and engineers to create an interactive experience.
Interspecies Assembly is a collection of pink marble sculptures that are arranged in a circular pattern to symbolize the decaying and collapsing nature biodiversity. It is located in Central Park. Hunga Tonga (2019) is another film about the Hunga Tonga Island in the South Pacific Ocean.
Hunga Tonga invites viewers to experience time as a volcanic island, an old microscopic organism, or the ocean. The SUPERFLEX website explains. Nature is dynamic, as the island will explain. There is no time outside of it.
Rain Room (2012) is another eco-conscious work of art. The viewer enters a room that is filled with rain. Their movement and presence in the room can affect the rain. Rain stops when a viewer enters an area. This prevents them from getting wet. Random International, Hannes Koh and Orian Ortkrass are responsible for this work. They blend art and technology.
Rain Room, according the Random International website is intended to explore how technology has mediated human relationships with each other and to nature. Rain Room was shown in prestigious galleries in London and New York, Shanghai, Los Angeles (Los Angeles), Melbourne, and Busan.
In the case Naziha Mestaouis’ 1 Heart 1 Tree (2012) work, visitors can make a positive impact on the environment. The piece allows viewers to plant virtual trees using an app on their smartphone. The tree grows in sync with the participant’s heartbeat. As the virtual tree grows, it is planted on one five continents. Since 2012’s inception, 55,000 virtual forests have been planted.
Parisian artist Mestaoui was inspired by a trip in the Amazon Rainforest. She wrote that she lived with Ashaninka, a native tribe. I was amazed at the connection they have with the natural world, this subtle reality of material and immaterial, and especially to trees, which are seen as carriers for wisdom.
All these developments indicate a recent rise of environmentally conscious art, rife in metaphorical messaging about global warming and our impact on the environment. Saraceno did just that in his recent exhibit at Neugerriemschneider gallery with his work Particular Matters (2021). Particular Matters is a darkened room that only has a beam of light to illuminate it. It also contains the dust-filled air we breathe every day.
The studio’s air is contaminated with cosmic dust, man-made dust, PM 2.5 particles, and other pollutants. These particles mainly consist of black carbon emissions from fossil fuels. These emissions are 2.5 microns in diameter and can be absorbed into your lungs or bloodstream. These sparkling specks, which appear to be dust, are actually a stark indicator of our impact on the Earth, as they fill the room with light.
Free the Air runs at the Shed Gallery, New York City, until April 17th 2022
