Imagining Arctic: Conceptualizing Climate Change in the Taiga-Tundra - A Talk

Visiting Artist Talk

Imagining Arctic: Conceptualizing Climate Change in the Taiga-Tundra

Maria Michails

Interdisciplinary Artist, FRQSC Postdoctoral Fellow
School of Sociological and Anthropological Studies, University of Ottawa

Academic Wing A2103 / Zoom Meeting ID: 836 0281 4120

What types of sensory apparatus and/or techniques could be employed during fieldwork to learn about ecological processes and/or disruptions in Arctic and Subarctic environments and how can this knowledge be translated into an artistic event?

For instance, what does melting permafrost look, sound, feel, or smell like and how is it perceived and experienced by people living in these contexts? How can ubiquitous/non-ubiquitous technologies be applied as modes for ultra-sensory perception? What can human and other-than-human species inhabiting different areas of the taiga-tundra tell about pollution, habitat loss, water flows, and changes in seasonal patterns?

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Maria Michails is an interdisciplinary artist and scholar working across the arts, science, social sciences and technology, creating projects that reimagine civic engagement with environmental issues. Her artwork has been exhibited throughout North America and Europe, and her writing about media arts and environmental public engagement have been published in journals and edited volumes. Her work has been featured in Scientific American, The Alt, and the Albany Times Union, as well as in books and catalogues. She is currently an FRQSC Postdoctoral Fellow in Anthropology at the University of Ottawa with affiliation in Liberal Arts at Yukon University.

Research in the Yukon will commence 15 March through 15 November, 2024 in field sites throughout the territory, including in and around Lhu'aan Man' (Kluane Lake}, and the Traditional Territories of Tr'ondek Hwech'in (Dawson City}, and Kwanlin Dun and Ta'an Kwach'an (Whitehorse}.

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For more information, please contact Amanda Graham, Chair, School of Liberal Arts, agraham@yukonu.ca