One of the projects we are working on here at the studio is a film that will explore engineering and the amazing achievements we can as a species succeed at, as well as the challenges that we face from what we do and the solutions engineering may provide. As part of our work we are always on the look for great ways to visualize what we now call the Anthropocene epoch. The geologic age of human influence. Here is a dramatic one ’Welcome to the Anthropocene’
This is the work of Globaia, a organization that attempts to educate people on understanding the modern world and the issues our environment and planet faces. Here are some stills
An image dramatically showing how our civilization networks (transportaion, power, cities) fade into the norther wilds of Canada.
The transportation, power and cities of Europe and Asia
Flight between North America and Europe
A map of energy: pipelines are orange, power lines are white, underwater cables are blue
These images present the yin and yang of our civilization.
The way we are becoming a networked planet and species and at the same time how we are impacting every single square mile of the planet. Too often the conversations that seem to revolve around the issues we face are one sided. Rather we look at these amazing images and see on one hand the amazing achievement of how we can connect ourselves both physically and electronically sharing information and materials, building and creating incredible works. We also see the issues and impacts that this endeavor makes on our planet and realize that the price we are paying is at times too much for our world to sustain. Only together with our ingenuity and innovation can we improve on what will always be an eternal dilemma.
Feel free to send us any links that you know of or come across that depict the two sides of the coin that these images show.
7 Comments
Hey Wayne,
Just wanted to let you know that I love your weekly inspiration emails…normally weekly emails from people are painful and after a while of receiving them, I just delete them without opening them.
My department, International Sales, have been very careful not to over-inundate our clients with emails/newsletters communications…but you really have managed to do this very nicely.
I am often delighted, surpised or intrigued by the content that you are sending.
Natalie
Natalie
Thanks!
You know it sort of follows one of our thoughts about exhibition/exhibit development and design. If you come up with an idea and you are like “wow I would like to do this exhibit” then it probably is a good exhibit because hey! we are people too. So when we some things that really excite or inspire us we thought hey! it probably would inspire other people too!
Cheers!
Wayne
Natalie, I completely agree. I have thoroughly enjoyed and forwarded the majority of these finds and musings. Not only to colleagues, but to family and friends as well. Thanks again Wayne!
Great visualizations – we could all do with a little less Yin and a little more Yang. It seems that up to now, the relative balance of the two has been more or less accidental as scientific discovery and technological development progressed with little understanding of the eventual global effects. Recently, hopefully, that has begun to change.
You might try Stewart Brand’s The Long Now Foundation website: http://longnow.org if you haven’t already seen it. It includes seminar podcasts, blogs, and ongoing projects.
Keep it up Wayne, your links are always interesting.
John
John
I think at times we are afraid to admit we have done some great things and we need to continue to do more but to do so sustainably. I am familiar with the Long Now Foundation. I have a couple of their books and have seen part of their clock. Very cool group. Someone needs to do an exhibition on their work/material.
Wayne
Wayne,
I most certainly agree with Natalie and the others about your mailings. You are managing to be ahead of many of us! The Anthropocene film would make a wonderful addition to what is shown on Science on a Sphere at many locations rather than on a flat screen
Keep up the great work.
Brenda
Amazed and enthralled! This gets it so right, taking unmanageable complexity and distilling it to it’s essence. I will use this immediately in our Climate Change Interpretive training program! So well done and thank you. Can’t wait to see more!