This piece is a development of explorations of the invisible force of electro-magnetism and how this manifests in the geomagnetism of the earth and the magneto-reception of all animals including humans. I use this as a metaphor to comment on humanity’s relationship with the natural world. In this work 14 glass houses signify fragile ecosystems, on the walls of the houses are etched silhouetted images of animals which are currently on the IUCN (International Union for the Conservation of Nature) “RED LIST” – the extinction rate of wild animals is now 100 times above normal.
Inside each house is are magnetised compass needles. The houses are placed on a flat piece of fused glass one meter in diameter which has encapsulated iron filings and is lit from below, inside the plinth. The glass disc slowly turns for 30 seconds on the hour (thus also a realtime clock), the electronics which drives the motor can also be activated by visitors if they press a button.
This sculpture is in part about the crisis the planet is facing and the forewarned ecological collapse and about our fractured connection with the earth. 99% of animals tested in laboratory conditions can detect the earth’s magnetic field – human’s cannot – we have literally and metaphorically lost our sense of direction.
