Monday, March 30, 2020

Turning

 “Turning” 

Michele Varisco @michelvarisco 
Permanent Collection on the Lafitte Greenway 

As we feel the collective momentum pull us into 2021, this permanent installation from Prospect 4 resonates in the pulse of this flickering moment. 

A triad of 9-foot cylinders rotate with touch, and emit a blue solar powered electro-luminescence. The structures are etched with historical iconography of the Mississippi River — from its free-flowing ancient patterns to traumatic traces of colonization and industry. Intricate colorful mosaics cover each base, and recall a primordial living WITH water. A kind of environmental justice mapping unfolds in the movement of the piece. The very act of turning the wheels raises questions about activism, modes of energy extraction, and the embedded codes in social justice and sustainability. 

This is an urgent call to action. 

Based on Buddhist prayer wheels, her meditative piece purifies the surrounding space and bestows blessings on those who engage. 

An interior mapping unfurls, and propels into an eco-future of compassion, awareness, & biophilia.

I wrote this for the virtual exhibition REgenerate, and collaborated with cross-disciplinary artists on their vision for this urgent ecological moment.