The Climate Crisis Forum that the Aspen Institute is celebrating in Miami Beach has used a series of artistic works to inspire greater public engagement with the urgent climate crisis facing the planet.
“I hope people will see that my work can understand that climate change is a serious issue and that here in Miami we are at the forefront,” said artist Orlando Estrada, who exhibits the rotating installation at the Miami Beach Convention Center “Tiered Panorama”. .
The work of this Californian with Puerto Rican roots, in which he addresses the vulnerability of Miami-Dade County to rising sea levels, is among the pieces exhibited randomly in different spaces of the Miami Beach Convention Center and in neighborhoods neighbors. New World Center, the main venues of the Aspen Ideas: Climate Forum.
At the Tech Solutions and Jobs Fair featured in this year’s edition, the installation “Angle of Vanishing Stability (AVS)”, by Miami artist Justin Long, is on display and consists of a boat suspended from the upside down on its mast about three meters high.
The Venezuelan Claudio Marcotulli in turn exhibits “Sea Show”, a work that questions the “voracious consumption” of human beings to the environment.
REBUILDING A CORAL REEF WITH ART
One of the works that attracts the most attention from visitors is “Heart of Okeanos”, by the British Petroc Sesti, a life-size carbon-based reconstruction of the heart of a blue whale and which, according to what he revealed, will a This is a pickup truck-sized replica that will be placed in the sea, about 50 yards off the coast of the South Beach tourist district.
The corals will be glued to the piece with the idea that they are reproducing where decades ago there was a coral reef that disappeared as the beaches of Miami Beach were enlarged and extended for tourists.
“If you create something that has great educational value and allows us to understand the importance of the ecosystem, then I think that’s a good thing,” said the Briton, whose project is part of the initiative The ReefLine, which will rebuild offshore beaches. of Miami Beach a coral reef of contemporary art.
Among the first works that will also be dropped into the water as part of this initiative, which has received a donation from the government of Miami Beach, there will also be cars intervened by the Argentinian artist Leandro Erlich.
“It brings back the life, brings back the ecosystem” and for people to understand that South Florida is a habitat for countless species of wildlife, as stated by Kate Fleming, of the Bridge Initiative organization which is part of the project.
“The reef line will be a seven-mile artificial reef and sculpture park that will be a reasonable distance from the shore of Mary Beach and will rebuild marine life that was lost about 50 years ago,” Fleming said. , founder and director of Bridge Initiative. , a non-profit organization that unites art and science to create public art for environmental advocacy.
INNOVATIVE SOLUTIONS TO THE CLIMATE CRISIS
The Aspen Ideas: Climate kicked off its second edition on Monday, with programming running through March 9 and featuring more than 170 speakers including experts, politicians, scientists, educators, businesspeople and artists .
This Wednesday, International Women’s Day, the Vice President of the United States, Kamala Harris, will participate in a conference hosted by singer Gloria Estefan.
The list of speakers and presenters also includes US Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack; New Orleans Mayor LaToya Cantrell; former President of Colombia Iván Duque and Minnesota State Governor Tim Walz, among others.
American Tommy Caldwell, considered one of the best climbers in the world; educator, television presenter and scientist Bill Nye, and American billionaire and philanthropist Tom Steyer, who was a candidate for the Democratic candidacy in the 2020 election, are other participants in this forum.
At this event, telecommunications firm Verizon announced the second edition of its Climate Resilience Award, which will award a total of $500,000 to four tech organizations that showcase solutions to reduce the impacts of the climate crisis on at-risk communities. .
“Hundreds of speakers from around the world and thousands of participants come together to demonstrate that climate change affects all areas of our lives, and each of us has a role to play in finding and building solutions,” said said Greg Gershuny. , executive director of the Aspen Institute’s Energy and Environment Program, at the start of the forum.