The Probability Engine

By micha cárdenas, Ian Costello, Ryan Li Dahlstrom, Tamara Duplantis, Star Hagen-Esquerra, Marcelo Diaz Viana Neto and Madison Mccartha
The Probability Engine: Permafrost and the Last Piece of Antarctic Ice (2024) will be featured at Art Souterrain, an art festival in Montreal March 16 – April 7 which addresses the urgent issue of the environment and climate change and will lead the public to think about the future and rethink their relationship with the environment.


Scan the tipping point icons this page with the Probability Engine app to see possible climate futures.

Permafrost collapse, a global tipping point

 

The Probability Engine: Permafrost and the Last Piece of Antarctic Ice (2024) draws inspiration from studies predicting that a 1.5°C increase in global warming could trigger several global tipping points. This series of artworks envisions a machine allowing audiences to explore potential futures of climate disasters and justice. Three sculptures, 3D printed from recycled materials, form the core of this work. Additionally, an augmented reality app depicts the effects of permafrost loss and explores potential solutions. Among the envisioned futures is the melting of boreal permafrost, covering much of Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and parts of northern Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. Scientists fear abrupt permafrost thawing, releasing huge amounts of currently frozen methane into the atmosphere. The project highlights tipping points and their consequences, such as Antarctic ice melting leading to sea-level rise. Collaborating with scientific publications, micha cárdenas and her team have created an immersive installation, making the realities of frozen landscapes and our interdependence tangible, particularly for those of us living in southern regions. The poems in the app make connections between genocide in Gaza, climate change and decolonization.

The Probability Engine is supported by the Center for Coastal Climate Resilience, the Anonymous Was a Woman award and the UCSC Arts Division.

 

Arctic winter sea ice collapse, a global tipping point

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