#52 Indifference

The multiple facets of the Climate Change subject are complex and confusing. To many the issues are too big and boring. It isn’t that they aren’t somewhat informed because for the most part they are; it is just that it is easier to ignore the subject and go about your business. Action only happens when ones pocketbook, property, or family, are impacted. The highly vocal voices of the naysayers and Fox News help just enough to remove all responsibility of involvement in trying to change the state of the planet. Particularly when one considers that all these extreme conditions have been repeated often over the millenniums. We didn’t create the problem therefore why should we be expected to do anything about it, is the rational. When pressed about the greenhouse emissions created by our huge hunger for oil there is some mention of conservation. And the good news is that most people are law abiding and would be willingly to conserve energy if the state and federal governments mandated legislation that dictated that kind of behavior change.
This last piece is about indifference with one part of the person buried in the sand with the light switch OFF showing a blatant disregard for energy waste as seen in the yellow discs. After Fire and a gavel on the head mandating a new energy policy the switch in the upper head is ON and the black and yellow discs show the change.

#51 Adaptation

The all American red breasted Robin has for the first time ever been seen in the Arctic. Never before has it flown north of the Boreal forests its normal summer home. This summer individuals have been spotted along the Utukok River, which is part of the Arctic National Wildlife Preserve. Climate Change is heating up the planet and the natural balance of predator and prey is being thrown off kilter. If a species is to survive it must adapt somehow to the loss or change of habitat, its food sources and the encroachment of humans. Birds have an advantage over say turtles as they can fly away from a habitat in peril, and if they are lucky find another. This piece is about two robins on a river in the tundra of the arctic.

#50 Managing the Now

My head and shoulders are embedded in a thick cradled piece of wood representing the ‘now.’ Yesterday with overlapping events connects behind on the right, while tomorrow in its almost clear wonderment stretches away on the left. The merry-go-around of slotted time represents how the present divides up constant motion over the course of the day. Being raised with a heavy Puritan work ethic and more importantly a confrontation with Death has created an urgency that manifests in not wanting to miss anything. I guess you could say the bottom line is to not inflict harm, while getting the most out of everyday.

#49 Heat and Fire

Mother Nature is turning up the temperature and this summer has been plenty hot. Moscow in particular and Russia in general, has experienced record breaking heat with temperatures hovering around the 100 degree mark. The people of Moscow have been so hot they have been jumping into the plaza fountains fully clothed. Along with the blistering hot temperature have come extremely dry conditions which have fed out of control fires that have burned villages right to the ground. Moscow is surrounded by fires and the smoke has caused all kinds of people with respiratory conditions to retreat into their apartments to escape the thick polluted air. Unfortunately there is no central cooling and for many the heat inside is worse then out, driving them back out into the extreme conditions. This piece is about the heat and fires. The fountain has hot polluted water coming out of the top which is raining down on three people in the bottom tier. Fire is boxing it all in.

#48 The Passion of Purpose

Bob Kafka is what you would call a gutsy mover and shaker. Left a quadriplegic from a an accident in his youth, he went on to become very involved in the politics within the disabled community and ultimately was instrumental in helping to establish the American Disabilities Act. The ADA for the first time addressed the needs of the disabled within their communities, work places, and schools. He was a master at mobilizing disabled people to action through civil disobedience by capitalizing on their anger and passion. As he pointed out action comes from the anger of injustice and discrimination and the passionate commitment is what is needed to make a change.
Hearing his words inspired this piece, which led me to look for someone within the environmental movement who also shares that fiery passion. Many of you will remember Julia Butterfly Hill who found her calling in 1997 when she first encountered a stand of huge ancient redwood trees in California. They were destined for the saw when she decided to ascended 180 feet into a 1000 year old tree to live and protect it for two years. She named the tree Luna, and while living there was able to negotiate with local officials a nature preserve for the surrounding trees and raise awareness worldwide for the plight of old growth forests. This piece is about the upper reaches of a tree which is embracing its young occupant with its ancient energy.

#47 Sea Ice Melt

The jury is still out as to whether 2010 will rival 2007 for the greatest loss of Arctic sea ice in its recorded history. Already the temperature on the poles is heating up at a greater rate than the rest of the planet. It has increased by 2.2 degrees Fahrenheit. Unlike the white ice which naturally reflects the sun’s heat back up into the atmosphere, the dark Arctic Ocean absorbs the solar heat and raises the water temperature. There is an acceleration of melting sea ice, global weather fluctuations, and the heating of the surrounding land masses, which releases methane and CO2 into the atmosphere further impacting global warming. The atmosphere, cloud impact, and now recently the Arctic wind study, are all contributors to the rapid loss of sea ice. Many naysayers are jumping on this newly released wind study to disprove that man is a contributor and harbors responsibility for the greenhouse effect on Climate Change. This piece is about melting sea ice, the heating up of the ocean, and the sweep of the wind.

#46 Desalination

As the planet heats up vast areas are experiencing extended periods of drought, from changing weather patterns. This is particularly true of subtropical areas such as the Southwestern part of the US, Australia, Africa and Europe. No animal, plant, or human, can live without water and future wars could develop should populations feel threatened.

Australia out of necessity, with a threatening extended drought, has been fine tuning the technology behind desalination plants to rescue the land from a potentially disastrous situation. By the process of reverse osmosis, salt is removed from sea water which then can be used for farming and human consumption. To date desalination has been technically difficult and expensive, but necessity drives innovation and man is in hot pursuit of a cheaper and technically simpler way to solve this problem. This piece is about desalination with the sea water being sucked into the bottom of the stick/pipe where it is then run through a valve at the top where the salt remains and the fresh water is then spewed out over the parched land.