The Nature of the Future / EcoPrint

The ‘Nature of the Future’ exhibition will be realised as part of the ‘EcoPrint’ project at the University of Novi Sad Rectorate from 20 July to 7 August as part of The Danube Sea programme arch.

Exactly 50 years ago, in June 1972, the first United Nations conference devoted to the human environment was held in Stockholm, where 26 principles of environmental protection were adopted. Now, 50 years later, the temperature has risen more than in any other 50 years in the last ten millennia. The concentration of carbon dioxide in the atmosphere has increased by one-third and five times more energy is consumed. There are more than twice as many people, but about 60% of all animals have died out, with more than half of the coral reefs destroyed.

Pretty devastating, isn’t it, but maybe it’s more important to be comfortable – soft, warm/cold and cosy, for as long as it lasts… The problem is, however, that it won’t last if we continue at this pace because we have to factor in the exponential and interwoven influences of various events in nature.

The climate crisis is deep, all-pervading, and extremely hermetic. The complex feedback loop of processes, causes and consequences bring about doubts and hesitation, although it is obvious that the (re)action must be immediate, as well as take on a global, universal character. In a world so split up by (in)visible dividing lines, it is almost certain that this will not happen. Or it won’t happen in time.

What are the alternatives? Quite directly, supported by science, but rather shyly or tersely communicated messages say that human civilisation is threatened with collapse before the end of this century. It sounds harsh, but both the author and the readers of this article will almost certainly not be alive by then. Our children and their children, however, will face the potential first wave of extinction of our species. Their possibilities for adaptation will be drastically reduced even though the window for action has already been radically narrowed.

Although these predictions certainly do not seem encouraging, there is still a possibility of choice. In the spectrum of bad and worse scenarios, it might be worth remembering what it means to be human in relation to all other species, and what it means to be humane and humanitarian. Although linguistically incorrect, a possible synonym and unifying factor could be solidarity, that which unites, supports, and empowers us! Many great troubles have been overcome through the power of solidarity, although humanity has never before faced such a devastating and complex adversary as climate change.

What is certainly crucial, even critical, is arming the global community with something that could be called climate literacy, as a set of necessary knowledge and skills to understand the phenomenon of climate change, the manifestations that accompany it and possible measures to adapt or avoid the consequences. For this purpose, the Center for the Promotion of Science, with its Novi Sad partners and with the support of the Novi Sad 2022 Foundation, established the EcoPrint project as an interdisciplinary space dedicated to scientific, artistic, and educational practices and knowledge. We aim to offer an alternative, largely overlooked perspective that may provide additional strength or motivation to accept reality and come to grips with what we have created. To be more people, as someone would say, and less mere observers of our own destiny.

Dobrivoje Lala Erić

Selector of the art+science EcoPrint programme

The projects that will be presented at the exhibition are:

Aerosonar

Aerosonar is a spatial audio installation that shows air pollution in the exhibition space through a musical composition. The mere presence of visitors in the installation space and changes in conditions also change the musical composition, which makes them aware of that influence.

Authors: Ana Todosijević, Ana Anastasov, Marija Šumarac

Collaborators on the project: Aleksandar Kilibarda (software development), Bojan Koenig (development of the scientific concept of the work)

Anatomy of a Fatberg

Taking a Fatberg as a metaphor for new artificial intelligence, the work presents an online game of chance where the only winner is a Fatberg himself. By clicking on the ‘release water’ button, our digital database feeds a Fatberg by combining data on the quality of wastewater and data from the Statistical Office of the Republic of Serbia.

Authors: Sanja Anđelković, Stefana Janićijević, Andrea Palašti, Jovana Pešić

Collaborators on the project: Srđan Bajić, architect and designer, Pavle Raković, data analyst and junior Python programmer, Luka Lopičić and Vanja Novaković, application development and web design, Nataša Đokić, environmental protection expert, Dvoper, The Danube Transformation Agency for Agency: Aleksandra Fruhstorfer, Lena Violetta Leitner, Ege Kökel, Solmaz Farhang

Woodiana.today

Woodiana.today is an experimental online prediction service developed to save the future of the Danube through speculative fiction. Woodiana.today uses scientific data about water to interpret them through dialogue with other mediators: economics, politics, art, theory, AI technology, history, and speculative fiction. To really understand how Woodiana.today makes forecasts, we have to enter its world, immerse ourselves in the river, search for its trajectories and consult freshwater biologists, ecologists, and data scientists.

Danube Transformation Agency for Agency, Jovana Pešić, Sanja Anđelković

Collaborators on the project: Maja Raković, D.Sc., and Stoimir Kolarević, D.Sc., from Institute for Biological Research ‘Siniša Stanković’, Department of Hydroecology and Water Protection, University of Belgrade, an institute of national importance for the Republic of Serbia, Hélène Masliah-Gilkarov and Adam Kovacs, ICPDR, Vienna, Austria, Sanja Bijelović, D. Sc., Institute for Public Health of Vojvodina, Faculty of Medicine, University of Novi Sad, Serbia, City Administration for Environmental Protection, Novi Sad, Serbia, Aljoša Tanasković, City Institute for Public Health, Belgrade, Luka Vujičić, data analyst, Luka Lopičić and Vanja Novaković, application development and web design.

The Hidden Life of an Amazon User

Joana Moll’s installation, based on search analysis, confronts us with the ecological footprint of buying a book through the amazon.com website. This study sheds light on Amazon’s often neglected but aggressive exploitation of its users, which is embedded at the core of the business strategies of so-called Internet companies.

Shells

In nature, shells are pollutant detectors; they serve as tiny filtration systems.

‘Shells’ are a collection of kinetic sound sculptures that transform data from water quality sensors into sounds and movement. Each ‘shell’ is made from recycled waste plastic and contains a speaker. A continuously evolving microtonal soundscape triggers the shell to subtly open and close, like that of the real world.

‘Shells’ invites the audience to see the connections between media art, the sonification of data and environmental sustainability.

The project was conceived and produced by Marco Barotti. Software development: Pim Boreel.

Meandering River

‘Meandering River’ is an audio-visual installation composed of real-time algorithmically generated visuals and music composed by artificial intelligence. This digital artwork makes changes visible by creating a unique awareness of time. Spanning multiple screens, the work reinterprets the changing behaviour of rivers by visualising their impact on the earth’s surface and presenting it through sound.

Photo: Onformative