Discovering the spatial scale of society-nature coevolution
Visualizing Environmental Change II Workshop
August - September 2015 Oulanka, Finland
Group: Helinä Kuusela, Pia Laiho, Fanni Uusitalo, Constanze Werner
Beyond addresses the scales of society-nature coevolution. Perceiving and interpreting the human influence on the environment is largely linked to our viewpoint and ability to see beyond it. The moving gaze has the ability of decisiveness and even ignorance, focusing only on the points of pleasant information.
The aim of this work is to challenge the viewer to experience the full spatial extent of the human impact on the environment. By visualizing different scales, Beyond offers a possibility for a visual journey. Drilling through the spatial dimensions of the phenomenon of environmental change, it surrounds the viewer with the full scale of the human impact.
In Beyond the scale tunnels are presented in the form of a circular installation which consists of 11 photographs. The images are placed horizontally in a row inside a large metallic circle. The white space between them works as a visual buffer zone. The photographs are arranged by the level of closeness to the lo- cation; ranging from a very distant image (satellite imagery) to extremely close (microscopic imagery). The level of abstractness is high at both ends; enabling the images to flow fluently from one to another. The installation is adjusted at the av- erage viewing height, and the viewer needs to step inside to see the photographs.
The thorough spatial interpretation process raises the question on how the view- point affects the environmental impact assessment. At some levels the human influence is clearly visible — and sometimes concealed. The existence of our impact on the environment is revealed through the act of changing the focus point and bringing the scale of perception into transition. The relation from the reason to the result (and vice versa) can be understood through the visual, active observation experience by stepping inside the circle construction. The scale penetrates the complete phenomenon; exposing the full view of the human actions.
The mission of Beyond is the viewer’s understanding of the depth and extent of the environmental change. The moving gaze of the viewer stops to recognize and to observe; to reflect and to internalize. We are interested to see how the viewer responds and reacts to this experience of depth and scale of the human environmental impact.
Visualizing Environmental Change II Workshop
August - September 2015 Oulanka, Finland
Group: Helinä Kuusela, Pia Laiho, Fanni Uusitalo, Constanze Werner
Beyond addresses the scales of society-nature coevolution. Perceiving and interpreting the human influence on the environment is largely linked to our viewpoint and ability to see beyond it. The moving gaze has the ability of decisiveness and even ignorance, focusing only on the points of pleasant information.
The aim of this work is to challenge the viewer to experience the full spatial extent of the human impact on the environment. By visualizing different scales, Beyond offers a possibility for a visual journey. Drilling through the spatial dimensions of the phenomenon of environmental change, it surrounds the viewer with the full scale of the human impact.
In Beyond the scale tunnels are presented in the form of a circular installation which consists of 11 photographs. The images are placed horizontally in a row inside a large metallic circle. The white space between them works as a visual buffer zone. The photographs are arranged by the level of closeness to the lo- cation; ranging from a very distant image (satellite imagery) to extremely close (microscopic imagery). The level of abstractness is high at both ends; enabling the images to flow fluently from one to another. The installation is adjusted at the av- erage viewing height, and the viewer needs to step inside to see the photographs.
The thorough spatial interpretation process raises the question on how the view- point affects the environmental impact assessment. At some levels the human influence is clearly visible — and sometimes concealed. The existence of our impact on the environment is revealed through the act of changing the focus point and bringing the scale of perception into transition. The relation from the reason to the result (and vice versa) can be understood through the visual, active observation experience by stepping inside the circle construction. The scale penetrates the complete phenomenon; exposing the full view of the human actions.
The mission of Beyond is the viewer’s understanding of the depth and extent of the environmental change. The moving gaze of the viewer stops to recognize and to observe; to reflect and to internalize. We are interested to see how the viewer responds and reacts to this experience of depth and scale of the human environmental impact.
Scale Tunnel 1 // SKI CENTRE // 66° 10’ 10’’ N, 29° 08’ 26’’ E
Scale Tunnel 2 // MINING AREA // 66° 17’ 19’’ N, 29° 11’ 57’’ E
Scale Tunnel 3 // CAR // 66° 21’ 34’’ N, 29° 19’ 22’’ E
Scale Tunnel 4 // WEATHER MEASURING STATION // 66° 19’ 11’’ N, 29° 24’ 11’’ E
