Echoes of Disruption, 2021

Digital video, 18 min. Courtesy of the artists

Echoes of Disruption is video entry 11543.1 from the laboratory log-book of time-travelling researchers, with journal notes narrated by an Artificial Intelligence program. Having travelled back to the 21st century the researchers begin decrypting clues by exploring natural history collections, carrying out observational experiments and assembling interviews and content from scientific researchers, social scientists, cultural theorists, writers and poets. Their objective is to gain an insight into the turning point after which a dramatic change in the Earth’s delicate and precarious ecosystem leads to a catastrophic fracture in the future timeline.

Credits:

In conversation with Deborah Wolton and Ollie Palmer; Voice over: Aniruddha Das; Processing ant simulations: Ollie Palmer; Soundtrack: Dubmorphology and DSPSSSSD

‘Echoes of Disruption’ was commissioned by Invisible Dust for UnNatural History at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum as part of Coventry City of Culture 2021. Publicly funded by Coventry City Council, the Wellcome Trust and National Lottery Funded by Arts Council England.

Colony

This newly commissioned work is the observation lab of time-travelling researchers from the future comprehending an imminent environmental disaster. They travel back to our current age and beyond to investigate the impact of anthropogenic activities and behaviour through natural history collections, specifically the cultural entomology of the colonies of ants and bees.

We spoke to the artists to discover their process of creating the project. Watch the interview below.

On display between 28th May – 22nd August 2021, ‘Colony’ was commissioned by Invisible Dust for UnNatural History at the Herbert Art Gallery and Museum as part of Coventry City of Culture 2021. Publicly funded by Coventry City Council, the Wellcome Trust and National Lottery Funded by Arts Council England.