Amy Balkin
Artist and Activist
Amy Balkin joined Cape Farewell on the 2007 Art/Science Expedition. Taking almost three weeks the expedition crossed the north Atlantic to the extreme frontline of climate change, then sailed south to explore East Greenland’s Blosseville Coast.
Amy utilises critique and cross-disciplinary research in projects that consider how humans create, interact with, and impact the social and material landscapes they inhabit. Her recent projects include Public Smog, Invisible-5 and This is the Public Domain.
Public Smog is a public park in the atmosphere that fluctuates in location and scale. Built through financial, legal, or political activities, Public Smog is subject to prevailing winds and the long-range transport of aerosols and gases. When built through the economic mechanism of emissions trading, the park opens above the region where offsets are purchased and withheld from use. Public Smog first opened briefly to the public during 2004 above California's South Coast Air Quality Management District, and is now open over the European Union through 2008.
Invisible-5 is a collaborative environmental justice / critical audio tour along California's Interstate-5 corridor between San Francisco and Los Angeles. The project investigates the stories of people and communities fighting for environmental justice along the I-5, through oral histories, field recordings, found sound, recorded music, and archival audio documents. The project also traces natural, social, and economic histories along the route. This project was developed in collaboration with artists Kim Stringfellow and Tim Halbur, and the organisations Pond: Art, Activism, and Ideas, and Greenaction for Health & Environmental Justice. The project is available to listen online or download from www.invisible5.org.
This is the Public Domain is an ongoing project to create a permanent international commons, free to everyone, and held in perpetuity for that purpose. In 2003, a 2.5 acre parcel of land was purchased near Tehachapi, California, to serve as the site for the proposed public domain. Sharing of the commons will be initiated when a juridical solution for public handover is found.
Amy's work was recently included in the exhibition Greenwashing - Environment: Promises, Perils and Perplexities at the Fondazione Sandretto Re Rebaudengo.
As part of the 2009 Futuresonic Festival in Manchester Amy organised a public reading of the latest IPCC (International Panel on Climate Change) Report.
Latest News
RPS Awards Shortlist
Tim Sutton’s Unplugged, Winning the Clay has been shortlisted for an RPS Award
Carbon 12 Exhibition
Save the Date: Cape Farewell's Carbon 12 exhibition opens on 3 May in Paris. It's an exciting mix of art commissions, with the artists working in close relationship with scientists. The exhibition runs 4 May - 16 September 2012 at the Espace Foundation EDF. Find out more ›
Poetry by Nick Drake
Acclaimed author and Cape Farwell voyagers Nick Drake, launches his new collection of poetry, The Farewell Glacier. The poems grew out of his journey to the Arctic.
Nature Journal
David Buckland's feature article 'Climate is Culture' has been published in the March issue of Nature Climate Change. Read about how Cape Farewell's approach has relevance to the discussion about our future.
Goodbye Arctic by Marina Moskvina
Russian novelist Marina Moskvina has just published her book on the 2010 Arctic Expedition with Cape Farewell. Illustrated by Leonid Tishkov, the book captures the voyage and questions the future of the Arctic.
Without Boats, Dreams Dry Up
An exhibition of 20 emerging artists and designers who have participated in Cape Farewell's SHORTCOURSE / UK; a 3-day urban expedition in London. Exhibition runs 24 Feb to 29 March.
U-n-f-o-l-d in Liverpool
Our exquisite exhibition U-n-f-o-l-d is back in the UK and opens on 8 March at John Moores University in Liverpool. If you miss the opening, come to the closing event on 24 April, which starts off the next SHORTCOURSE/UK expedition. Find out more ›
Reality of Change
On 15 March, together with TckTckTck and the UK Youth Climate Coalition, Cape Farewell invites you to a ‘Reality of Change’ evening at the Dana Centre, with architect Sunand Prasad, campaigner Martin Kirk and others who will present and discuss ideas around (climate) change.
U-n-f-o-l-d exhibition
Cape Farewell's exquisite new touring exhibition Unfold kicked off in Vienna this May. It's being shown at the University College Falmouth from 26 Nov to 22 Jan 2011, before heading to Chicago.
Find out more ›
Amy Balkin 2007
"As political and cultural awareness of global warming grows, the reading, meaning and value of the Cape Farewell voyages will also develop. I hope to return from the trip with an enhanced understanding of the Arctic as a system, and with an increased ability to speak to the impacts of climate change."
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