“Message from GRACE” Artist Statement:
High above the Atlantic, suspended between time zones and uncertain outcomes, sleep comes fitfully. In the dark, the world shifts. Midnight reading offers a distraction but also deeper evidence for concern. Earth’s axis tilts, gravity pulls, seasons change, ice melts, flooding waters rise, or the earth is left parched, the natural world changes beyond recognition. Human activity contributes to these seismic shifts in Earth’s mass and atmosphere. Heightened awareness of our ever-changing world leaves bodies and spirits under stress from this increased vulnerability. Adapt and change to a new way of being or turn a deaf ear and a blind eye to the comprehensive observations from both elders and science warning of the consequence of denial. “Message from GRACE” offers an inverted reality, present but not yet seen. Delicate details or vast landscapes are familiar yet strange, hold both beauty and decay, alarm and possibilities. How to make sense of our off-kilter politics, environment, relationships? How can we shape our near and distant future?
“NASA’S GRACE Mission satellites, (Gravity Recovery and Climate Experiment) relay data that has transformed analysis of changes in the Earth’s system. GRACE-FO, scheduled for launch in late 2017, will continue the work of tracking Earth’s water movement to monitor changes in underground water storage, the amount of water in large lakes and rivers, soil moisture, ice sheets and glaciers, and sea level caused by the addition of water to the ocean. These discoveries provide a unique view of Earth’s climate and have far-reaching benefits to society and the world’s population. “https://gracefo.jpl.nasa.gov/mission/overview”