Disappearance as ‘work in progress’: The Maldives is estimated to disappear under the ocean in the year 2080.
Think about it. Here is this beautiful island country – the planet’s lowest country, rising an average of 1.5 meter above the ocean surface: A 60 centimeter raise in sea levels would see the entirety of the Maldives smothered by the ocean and make the entire Maldivian population into 350,000 refugees of global warming.
The Maldivians are thinking about this. For the first time, the Maldives will participate at the Venice Biennale, one of Europe’s most important art events, with a pavilion which is to become “an eco-aesthetics space” and a platform for 99 environmental campaigners, artists and thinkers. They have been invited to contribute to the Maldives Pavilion in the period from 1 June to 24 November 2013, when the 55th Venice Biennale rolls out.
COP 18 B
CAN WE TAKE ADVANTAGE THAT MOST NATIONS ARE COMING TO VENICE TO DEBATE ONE MORE TIME CLIMATE CHANGE ?
IS IT AN EMERGENCY ?
WHAT ARE THE EMERGENCIES NOW ?
Emergency Room
At the moment, the French-Danish format artist Thierry Geoffroy / Colonel is busy organising a developing project for the Maldives Pavilion, within his concept of ‘Emergency Rooms’.
Colonel poses questions:
“Is climate change still an emergency?
After all the energy and foccus that was developed during COP 15, the climate change conference in Copenhagen 2009, what is left now?
Is it too late?
Is it a taboo?
Was is just a trend?
Is everythink solved now?
Or is climate change still an emergency?
If yes, why don’t we debate more about which steps to take?”
Critical run in Copenhagen
As a “warm up process” for the work to be activated at the Venice Biennale, Colonel is organising a so-called ‘CRITICAL RUN’ in Copenhagen on Thursday 21 February (at 5pm, starting by the water in front of The Royal Library’s Diamanten).
Curator team
The Danish-based artist group Chamber of Public Secrets will be building the Maldives Pavilion at the Venice Biennale with a curator team consisting of Søren Dahlgaard, Aida Eltorie, Khaled Ramadan, and Alfredo Cramerotti, as well as a long list of curator assistants.
Artist Søren Dahlgaard has been living and making many monumental art projects in Maldives.
Buying land in Australia
If the Maldives disappears beneath the ocean, the country’s 350,000 population will have to evacuate the islands. Former president Nasheed has set up a sovereign savings account, to be funded, which is being used to buy land on high ground in Australia. The plan has been put into action because Nasheed did not want to see the Maldivians living in tents as refugees.
Check the blog of the Pavilion:
• maldivespavilion.com/blog
Official home page of the Maldives Pavilion:
‘Disappearance As Work In Progress – Approaches To Ecological Romanticism’
• maldivespavilion.com
Related
Blind Carbon Copy – 18 April 2012:
Climate change is still an emergency
Australian blogger Ben Courtice’s attempt to summarise where climate stands