Exploring technology and climate breakdown with our winter residents

Earlier this year, following an open call from MAYK and Watershed, artists Xavier VelastinRobbie ThomsonElla Good and Nicki Kent, spent time with us exploring technology and climate breakdown, with a focus on the local effects of the climate crisis, and our demand for gas and oil, and sustainable energy.

While the showcase of the work developed as part of the residency wasn’t able to go ahead, we can share three short films that we made with the artists about their time in residence.

Let’s meet the residents and their work.

[whalesong]

Xavier Velastin is a performing sound artist, poet and composer. He used his residency to work on [whalesong], a human-computer duet that takes its structure from the song of male humpback whales. The idea comes from his interest in seismic surveying, the process whereby loud soundwaves are used to prospect for oil and gas – something that is hugely damaging to marine life.

During this residency, Xavier experimented with sensor technologies to enhance the performance of [whalesong] and delved into global ecological myths. Discover what he learned from these old forms of knowledge and just how he is using them.

Other Animals

Sound and visual artist Robbie Thomson is concerned that the places where the impact of climate change and environmental destruction is most visible – like the Amazon fires or coral reef bleaching – feel very distant from our everyday lives.

Robbie has been working hard to develop a series of part organic, robotic sculptures that draw our attention to the ‘invisible’ changes happening under our noses.

Building a Martian House

Since 2016 Ella Good and Nicki Kent have been working towards Building a Martian House, a real life house that you can step into and imagine how we might live on another planet, in a very different climate.

“We have really enjoyed being part of the Watershed/MAYK winter residency. We have spent the time thinking about creating visions of the future that challenge ideas of automation: researching human power plants, gravity batteries and the role of maintenance, repair and self-reliance in our future. Our own experiments have been much more low tech, attempting to adapt a shower into a low energy, low water, mist shower, similar to NASA's 1970's experiments but only using a few items from a garden centre. In the showcase we'll also discuss our 'Martian Makers' club, where we're bringing together a group of people to help us with creating further homemade experiments as part of our Building A Martian House project.” - Ella Good & Nicki Kent.

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