Cities of Salinity
There is an architecture to ecological decline. A socio-economic, intellectual, and political architecture that is facilitating the destruction of 27% of coral reefs, creating islands of floating waste larger than continental Europe, 80% losses in global forestry, the mass extinctions of amphibians, and millions of plant and animal species now being placed under threat of extinction. At present, many are unaware of the severity and urgency of a global ecological decline. However, by 2050, this is likely to change, as humans begin to feel the encroachment of rising sea levels on cities, urban centres, and agricultural land throughout the world. Two scientific predictions appear catastrophic and not yet reconciled:
By 2050 an estimated 70% of the worlds populations to be living urban areas.
By 2050, it is expected that the cities of Alexandria, Bangkok, Jakarta, Basra, New Delhi, Ho Chi Minh City, Mumbai, Tokyo, New York, London, Shanghai, and New Orleans could all be underwater.
“When I first began Cities of Salinity, I wanted to cast replicas of coastal regions in salt and have them as freestanding translucent sculptures. However, as I began to use water to carve into the salt, it felt more akin to the project. By estimating water salinity in a tank of water, I could control structural changes of the mineral monolith. Water then became a tool for shaping my own coastline. This was a great deal of trial and error - I lost some salt blocks entirely if I didn’t keep track.
The culmination of these experiments have produced the collection of 26 pieces of salt sculpture in various sizes, colours, and shapes. It is interesting to me that the material is dense and heavy, but, given the time in the wrong environment, it can, completely disappear. I can see the benefit of using experimental processes such as this, to create, engineer, and design new landscapes and modes of thinking.”
Aisling Davis.