Song for a Rising Sea
Digitizing the remains of a disappearing sea
Matanuska melts.
Meanwhile, halfway across the globe
one of the last fishermen in the port of Jaffa
returns from a journey at sea.
He weaves a large turquoise net
to the sounds of Umm Kulthum:
"Only a few fish left," he says.
This multi-media piece straddles
the physical locations of Matanuska and Jaffa Port,
where today, only a few Palestinian fishermen remain.
As a result of colonial-industrial, and environmental threats,
only a few fishermen remain in this historic port.
The few that remain struggle to make ends meet.
In the background, we hear the lamenting song of icebergs melting,
and Umm Kalthoum, a reminder of what once was.
This piece was created as part of CRYOSPHERE:
“ CRYOSPHERE is inspired by the Matanuska Glacier in Alaska. Climate change has caused ice forms in Alaska to disappear at a disproportionately faster rate than other glacierized regions on Earth. These vast rivers of ice perform a crucial role in regulating the planet’s atmosphere and these arctic areas have been called “ground zero” for climate change, as warming temperatures and melting sea ice impact local communities and influence global precipitation and temperature levels. The Matanuska Glacier has lost over 84 million tons of ice since 2002.
In June, the entirety of the CRYOSPHERE exhibition will be released as a singular NFT containing a compilation of artworks by participating artists and will be minted on Algorand which is a sustainable and green blockchain. A portion of the proceeds will go to support Cook Inletkeeper, an Alaskan non-profit organization which engages with local communities, Indigenous-led movements, and a strong coalition of groups working to build a bridge to the future by protecting wild salmon landscapes and addressing the climate crisis.