Constellation of our Futures
2023, UK and Ireland
Constellations of our future, © Nicola Anthony, 2023
Constellation of our Futures muses on themes of climate change, molecular chemistry, altered states, human nature and otherness. This installation sculpture is a delicate, evocative piece which uses projections and shadowplay to become an immersive experience. The artist challenges us to peer into the mirror of existence and venture into our interconnected human narrative.
The artwork takes the form of a ‘star map’ turned three dimensional to echo the forms of the world on a molecular micro scale or the universe in all its infinity. Made of stainless steel, suspended on invisible nylon wires. Instead of constellation names written onto this ‘map’, the artist has worked with a psychologist to identify the foundational and base human instincts which have always guided and steered us, which form the basis of our evolution s a species, and which could now form the barrier or the motivation to make the paradigm shift that humanity needs to make in order to combat climate change - hope, love, desire, greed, freedom, justice, need, emptiness…. Paired with words from the lexicon of belief, guiding principles, and how the think of the universe around us this artwork becomes a three dimensional abstract poem.
The concept began with a sense of awe at the ‘critical zone’ – the thin sliver of Earth where the conditions for life's existence converge. This band is described by Bruno Latour as "a thin, complex, and very sensitive biofilm (…) just 1km above our heads and 1km down under our feet where life takes place”. Anthony was prompted to consider whether this may be the only pocket of life in the universe and, if so, what does it mean to be alive in it? How can we expand our minds outwards to the point where we appreciate, protect and safeguard the miraculous anomaly of existence?
Constellations of our future mock up at Bishopsgate, © Nicola Anthony, 2023
At the heart of this artwork lies the artist’s fascination with the stories which are woven into our collective consciousness. This artwork Anthony says “contrasts these deep-set influences to the bigger picture, I have now turned my focus towards how these narratives, desires and beliefs that inform our base human instincts can either unite or divide us as we confront the challenges of climate change and climate justice.”
Constellation of our futures, © Nicola-Anthony, 2023