Locked into their deep ice layers are preserved plants, soil, creatures—and even air—that range from 500 to 500,000 years old. All of these elements contain important information about the progression, and natural ebb and flow, of Earth’s atmosphere. These glaciers are receding at incredible rates—and along with them—their invaluable documentation.
In Wake Pt. 1 creates a visual archive of the Pariacaca glacial range in the Peruvian Andes. At three locations, I have placed waterproofed, concrete-cast USB drives containing photographs taken from the exact location of the USB placement. The photographs, along with a text file translated into five different languages explaining the device’s function, are stored only on these drives, and will never be printed, published, or shared online. They exist only where they were created. By doing so, I have not only archived a visual description of Pariacaca, but also the intimacy of place within the landscape. In order to see what the glaciers looked like at that given moment in time, one must physically travel to the location equipped with a USB-compatible device.
The lives of the USB drives are finite. Despite their waterproofing and concrete casing, these drives will break down over time and cease to function. There are no plans to service or repair the devices. Without proper care, they will, inevitably, lose their information and become inoperable. They too, like the glaciers, are mortal—effectively embodying a symbol of our actions and inactions towards our planet in the last century.
The images on this page depict the exact coordinates at which the USB drives were dropped, along with their elevation, and a photograph of their placement in the landscape. This information is offered as a map for those who desire to travel to find the drives for as long as they exist—to compare the past and present side by side, or even service and update the devices themselves.
Selected Exhibitions
2015 Museo del Convento de Santo Domingo Qorikancha, Cuzco, Peru
2014 Museo de Arte Contemporáneo de Lima, Peru
Selected Publications
2014 HAWAPI - Etiqueta Negra