Itinerant Signal Institute (Rite of Spring) - Amelia Marzec
Amelia Marzec ( United States )
Itinerant Signal Institute (Rite of Spring) is a fictional institute and installation, informed by a years-long process encapsulating social practice and tech art. In anticipation of increasing climate migration, the Institute tests for environmental toxins to identify places that are safe. The effect of local emissions on global climate change is examined through small hand-built devices that test the air and soil. Ritual costumes tell the story of the project, in which figures have emerged from the melting permafrost to examine city climates. They wear headdresses of fossils, inspired by Eastern European carnival costumes that denote the changing of seasons. They acknowledge the effect of human activity on the Arctic Circle. The project also addresses queer migration, and re-defining the idea of home. The work began with site visits to polluted locations such as Newtown Creek where Amelias family lived when they emigrated to New York City.
The project has been sponsored by City University of New York, Grace Exhibition Space, Art in Odd Places, Flux Factory, and Materials for the Arts.