July, 2017.
The general topic of discussion at the ARC seminar on July 2017, was the urgent Miami sea level rise, the Anthropocene, where we stand and how can we act as an artist, curator, institution to take steps towards helping humans survive this possible extinction crisis we are facing. How can the human race improve and stop and try and reverse the damages done, before the point of no return?
The Miccosukee activist Reverend Houston Cypress gave us a detailed comprehension of the Everglades waterways and some of the ongoing problems: high levels of mercury in the water and an uneven wave of over flooding and dryness in their land in the Everglades. They also took us on an airboat tour ride into their reservation area. We saw what an apple tree in the Everglades looks like, giant crickets by the hundreds, plenty mosquitoes bites and some domesticated alligators. And left us with the quest for stillnes, harmony and a better, less destructive form of living.
