Environmental Art and Advocacy: Tower

Tower, an interdisciplinary installation, reflects on climate change and the biblical story of the Tower of Babel – a story of arrogance and the creation of linguistic differences. To overcome the vicissitudes of linguistic and cultural differences Tower seeks to unify people to achieve a common goal of protecting nature. Combining sculpture, video, archiving and community participation, the work highlights interviews of people of multilingual backgrounds sharing their personal experiences with climate change. The interviews are recorded in the interviewee’s native language to emphasize the global impact and responsibility in fighting climate change.

Quotes:

“So much has been put on hold in these months of coronavirus. Even tepid approach to climate crisis is off the front page, if it ever was on the front page. Good luck. Peace!” – J, USA

”Thank you for giving me the opportunity to convey my voice to the world, especially in my mother tongue (Assyrian). Being an Assyrian woman I am very proud to speak my mother tongue.” – N, Iraq

“I’m so honored to be part of your project. It’s a privilege to share my story, be one of the voices of any individual who has experienced the effects of climate change and its impacts on society, community and our safety. I hope my story helps.” – J, Philippines

Tower (2021)
Tower (2021)
Tower (2021)
Tower, video detail (2021)
Tower, base detail (2021)
Tower, architectural drawing (2021)
Exhibited at Performance Mix Festival of New Dance Alliance at Community Space 122 in New York, NY and Jamaica Flux of Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning at King Manor Museum in Queens, NY

Materials: steel, concrete, plastic

Dimensions: 3.3′ x 3.3′ x 13.5′

English transcribed interviews

Tower project is available for commissions. Please contact.

Portfolio

Developed with support from The Amsterdam Collective Casa de Cultura, Bearnstow Artist Retreat, Catwalk Institute and NYU, Flatbush Nostrand Junction BID, Jamaica Center for Arts and Learning, Laajasalon opisto, New Dance Alliance, RaumArs AiR, Rauman Seudun Työnhakijat and Tohmajärvi Residency
Built at the Tech Valley Center of Gravity, Troy, NY
Funding made possible by The Puffin Foundation and Finlandia Foundation National

Building a Tower to Frame Plastic Waste, a film, documents the making of the first Tower prototype. Included are many climate change interviews.
11:20 (2:05 trailer)
Directed by SN
Distributor: AV-Arkki, the Centre for Finnish Media Art
Filmed at Catwalk Institute, Catskill, NY
A panel discussion “Art as Community Activation” as part of COAL + ICE by Asia Society at The REACH at The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington DC, 2022. More information on COAL + ICE
A live-streamed artist talk “Tower: Framing Personal Experiences with Climate Change” with Hunters Point Library Environmental Education Center, Queens, NY, 2021

Support the Tower project on Patreon!