Lichens as an bioindicators of "Well-being"

Video

Description

A Vital Recolonization in a Capitalist Crisis Era

Story

An Enlichenment: A Vital Recolonization in a Capitalist Crisis Era is an immersive and interactive journey which was presented in IKLECTIK Art Lab, the center of London. This project was informed by the history of the 1952 Great Smog of London and the consequential demise of lichens and its recolonization of the city, linking lichens, urban life, ecological balance, and the indigenous philosophy of “Buen Vivir” (Living Well).

This art installation affects the growth status of digital lichens through detecting real-time data of air quality, it can also present the local environmental status with the growth of lichens based on online data of different areas of the world. It transcends geographical boundaries, offering a comprehensive view of the interconnectedness of pollution and ecological vitality.

For millions of years, Lichens have colonized the planet. They are mini ecosystems where multiple microorganisms (through symbiosis) function as a single sustainable unit mainly comprised of a mutually beneficial collaboration or parasitic relationship between fungi and algae. Its mode of existence sheds light on the harmonious coexistence and interaction between humans and nature.
Moreover, human existence might depend on their survival. They are ideal pollutant bioindicators because of their sensitivity to air pollution. We have noticed lichens in different states of growth in different streets of London, collected the samples in different neighborhoods and observed the lives of the people from those areas. It made us question: “What is living well?”. “Buen Vivir” (sumac kawsay)— a philosophy and social movement that puts “living in harmony with nature and with one another” into practice — is invoked to further rethink our lives. An Enlichenment aims to be not only a bioindicator of capitalist pollutants but also of Buen Vivir (Living Well).

Link

• https://wilburwangwang.cargo.site/5-1

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Judge’s Comments

Darlene Damm

Faculty Chair and Former Vice President of Community and Impact, Singularity University

The Living Lodestar Prize

We live in a world that seems to get more and more complicated everyday and is plagued by large systemic problems - climate change, pollutants, health challenges and an unstable economy. At the same time, our world is increasingly filled with confusing, contradictory and false information. Many people are feeling anxious and helpless in this world. This project shares that despite this confusion and chaos, we can count on the humble lichen to guide us forward and help us see first hand how healthy the environment is immediately around us. Lichen is also freely available, and growing in many locations around the world. If the project does not do so already, I would love to see an interactive component where people around the world photograph and share the lichen in their lives and neighborhoods.