Burned Cork - Resilience
Burned Cork Oak Skin / 4.1 Sound System / Motor / Two prepared microphones
In a direct homage to the centenary craftsmanship of the Portuguese skilled Cork workers, this Sculpture re-invents that historical handcraft method, symbolically using it in an Oak tree that has been devastated by wildfire in 2021.
The tree itself has survived due to the incredible properties of its Cork skin, a natural fire retardant and incredibly resistant organic material, that allows the tree not only to survive, but to act as a protector, by slowing down the fire progression towards other species.
The summer of 2021 has seen the most intense wildfires ever recorded, smoke clouds from Siberia reached the North Pole for the first time ever in history. In Siberia alone, 800 megatons of carbon dioxide have been released since the beginning of June, doubling last year's record. According to the European Copernicus Monitoring Service (CAMS), these fires emitted more carbon dioxide in two months than Germany in a full year.
Cork Oak is one of the most fire resistant Portuguese native species, yet since the dictatorship, the country has been mostly planted with extensive monocultures of Eucalyptus, due to their fast growth rate, and economic gains.
Unfortunately, the monoculture of eucalyptus trees is devastating to the water resources, and one of the main policies contributing to the uncontrollable fires that Portugal has experienced in the last years. When the oils in the tree heat up, the plant releases flammable gas, which ignites into a fireball. This accelerates the eucalyptus fire hazards in the region and discourages firefighting efforts.
This Sound Sculpture uses the burned Oak skin as an acoustic topography, reproducing sound through direct contact with its surface. The piece is part of a larger cross-disciplinary program, focused on the implementation of the Quercus Suber “Cork Oak” as a form of prevention and forest management. These series of new Sculptures are a symbol of resilience against wildfires, developed during a recent artistic residency in "Rural Vivo" - a local ecological and cultural association devoted to preservation programs in the UNESCO natural reserve of Gerês.
Mostly the project has been presented through the Burned Cork Sculpture, as a means of awareness to the reforestation policies of Portugal.
Berlin Masters SCHLIEMANN Award 2021.
Note: The following link provides further information regarding the BLM award 2021.
http://www.delindro.com/blm-award-2021.html
Burned Cork Oak Skin / 4.1 Sound System / Motor / Two prepared microphones
In a direct homage to the centenary craftsmanship of the Portuguese skilled Cork workers, this Sculpture re-invents that historical handcraft method, symbolically using it in an Oak tree that has been devastated by wildfire in 2021.
The tree itself has survived due to the incredible properties of its Cork skin, a natural fire retardant and incredibly resistant organic material, that allows the tree not only to survive, but to act as a protector, by slowing down the fire progression towards other species.
The summer of 2021 has seen the most intense wildfires ever recorded, smoke clouds from Siberia reached the North Pole for the first time ever in history. In Siberia alone, 800 megatons of carbon dioxide have been released since the beginning of June, doubling last year's record. According to the European Copernicus Monitoring Service (CAMS), these fires emitted more carbon dioxide in two months than Germany in a full year.
Cork Oak is one of the most fire resistant Portuguese native species, yet since the dictatorship, the country has been mostly planted with extensive monocultures of Eucalyptus, due to their fast growth rate, and economic gains.
Unfortunately, the monoculture of eucalyptus trees is devastating to the water resources, and one of the main policies contributing to the uncontrollable fires that Portugal has experienced in the last years. When the oils in the tree heat up, the plant releases flammable gas, which ignites into a fireball. This accelerates the eucalyptus fire hazards in the region and discourages firefighting efforts.
This Sound Sculpture uses the burned Oak skin as an acoustic topography, reproducing sound through direct contact with its surface. The piece is part of a larger cross-disciplinary program, focused on the implementation of the Quercus Suber “Cork Oak” as a form of prevention and forest management. These series of new Sculptures are a symbol of resilience against wildfires, developed during a recent artistic residency in "Rural Vivo" - a local ecological and cultural association devoted to preservation programs in the UNESCO natural reserve of Gerês.
Mostly the project has been presented through the Burned Cork Sculpture, as a means of awareness to the reforestation policies of Portugal.
Berlin Masters SCHLIEMANN Award 2021.
Note: The following link provides further information regarding the BLM award 2021.
http://www.delindro.com/blm-award-2021.html