Carbon Connection
Augmented Reality public sculpture, 8'x3'x3'
2017

Developed as a city commission for public art that combined a recent study of Toronto's sustainability and climate experts with artists, the work utilizes the form of public art and spectacle as a means to communicate the complex realities of the subject. Through a series of animations, the narrative moves from resource extraction to labour organization which results in a move towards renewable energy and reduced carbon emissions.

Highlighting the role of technology and participation in this future, the audience is asked to use a free (corporate sponsored) smartphone AR app in order to view the sculpture in its entirety. As both corporations and individuals are complicit in ‘petroculture,' the user must navigate the testy app and their body in real time in order to view the work. Without active participation and effort, the audience cannot view the work, nor move towards a sustainable future.

Placed within an old brick factory that has since transitioned into a bespoke famer's market, modern office space, and nature conservatory, the work both draws upon and challenges the technology and political aesthetics that surround it.

Images are from the opening exhibit of the Living City art exhibit at the Evergreen Brickworks. Photos were taken by Jamie A. MacMillan.