MIAMI -- Antarctica, the
frozen icy landscape that seems a world away, is
actually closer than you might think thanks to a
South Florida artist with vision and talent.
Even if you
don't know the name, you may have seen Xavier
Cortada's Eco-Art strategically located at points
in and around Miami-Dade. This artist just
returned from a trip of a lifetime to Antarctica.
"Antarctica is a
continent that helps us reflect on our humanity
because it is the only place on Earth that hasn't
been tapped. 90% of our planet's fresh water is in
the ice sheet that blankets that continent.
Scientists from all over the world are in that
continent researching the effects of our actions
and how we adversely impact that sheet of ice. As
that ice melts; we all die."
Cortada, the
recipient of a National Science Foundation grant
in December made the incredible journey to
Antarctica to do what he does best. Create art
that makes us think. It was an exhausting trip.
Five hours to Los Angeles, fourteen and half hours
to Australia, two more hours to New Zealand, five
hours to the famed McMurdo Research Station then
finally another three hours to the South Pole,
where temperatures hovered around -20 degrees
during his visit.
Cortada says
being in a place to pristine, so untouched by man
inspired him.
"We are just
custodians taking care of this planet. Human
history is just a blink of an eye and we need to
be more aware of our consequences of our actions
on the planet."
The creative
action Cortada chose to take was to install
artistic pieces to signify how all of us all over
the globe are connected and responsible for our
plane
In The
Longitudinal Installation, Cortada placed
twenty-four shoes in a circle around the South
Pole. They are only inches apart but signify how
people around the world who live miles apart are
actually closer than they might think, because
their communities lie on the same longitudinal
line.
"There are no
boundaries, says Cortada.
In Endangered
World, Cortada place twenty flags around the pole
and on each flag included the name of an
endangered species and the longitude of that
animal's habitat.
"If we don't do
anything about global warming, then we will lose
many of the species which now exists."
In The Markers,
Cortada placed fifty-one different flags on the
main sheet of ice that covers the South Pole; ten
miles apart. Each indicates where the Pole stood
over the past fifty years.
"It captures how
time moves. And most significant is that it was
literally fifty years to the day that the South
Pole station was opened, January 4th, 1957, that I
positioned the flags. It's a way to celebrate the
fiftieth anniversary of research in the South
Pole. Every flag stands where a contributing
scientist once stood."
A little piece
of South Florida also stayed behind when Cortada
returned. He placed a Mangrove seedling in the
ever-moving ice. Theoretically it should take one
hundred fifty thousand years for that seedling to
reach the coastline and put down roots.
Cortada says his
trip allowed him to blend science with art in a
unique way. His exhibit will also feature a series
of Ice Paintings. Scientist in the South Pole gave
him samples of their work. Ice. Volcanic ash and
rocks. Pieces of dirt millions of years old.
"These are all
guys telling me that science of Antarctica by
showing me their work. With the same materials, I
am using art to expand knowledge."
To see Xavier
Cortada's latest exhibit and visit Antarctica
without ever leaving South Florida, simply head on
over to the Kunsthaus Contemporary Art Space, at
3312 North Miami Avenue, Miami, Florida, 33127 in
the Wynwood Art District.
The exhibit
opens Saturday, March 10th and runs through May
5th.
For more
information on Cortada, his work and this exhibit,
check out his website at
Cortada.com/Antarctica.
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