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Amy Balkin (USA, 1967) |
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Amy Balkin’s art projects investigate the relationships between man and the environment, understood as physical and social space. The artist uses many different strategies to tackle interconnected themes, such as public law, access to primary resources, territorial usage, pollution and speculation. Balkin practises an authentic form of artistic activism aimed at identifying alternative scenarios of growth and cohabitation. |
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In 2001 Balkin purchased a parcel of land near Tehachapi, California, as a project entitled This is the Public Domain and tried to transform it by law into an international public property. In 2004, she commenced the “construction” of an aerial public park with variable area and location, through the purchase of credits for carbon dioxide emissions, in the Public Smog project. She thus questioned the system of selling concessions as a remedy to the climate crisis and more in general the monetisation and expropriation of air.
Developed in conjunction with artists Kim Stringfellow and Tim Halbur, together with the Pond: Art, Activism, and Ideas and Greenaction for Health & Environmental Justice organisations, the Invisible-5 project examines the social, economic and environmental context of the San Joaquin Valley, in California, along whose length runs Interstate 5 connecting San Francisco and Los Angeles This corridor is not only a strategic axis for the transport of goods and people, but also for the development of livestock farming and intensive agriculture, the cheese industry, waste disposal, oil and gas industries and the construction industry. Due to this concentration of activities, the area of Interstate 5 is one of the most toxic on Earth. Invisible-5 tells the story of the people and the local communities and their struggle to achieve environmental justice. The project takes the form of a sound archive, shared over the Internet, which gathers the testimonies of the inhabitants along with typical local sounds and music. |
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Invisible-5, 2005
self-guided critical audio tour along Interstate 5
between San Francisco and Los Angeles
selection of five tracks: Bayview Hunters Point San Francisco,
Intestate 5, Kettleman City, Earlimart, Mega-Dairies
Courtesy the artist.
Photo Credit: CCCS, Firenze; Valentina Muscedra |
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Invisible 5 (The Grapevine, Buttonwillow; San Fernando Valley Map), 2006
self-guided critical audio tour along Interstate 5 between San Francisco and Los Angeles
Production credits: Amy Balkin, Tim Halbur, Kim Stringfellow, Greenaction for Health and Environmental Justice, Pond: Art, activism, and ideas
Images credit: Kim Stringfellow, Amy Balkin; Map: NASA World Wind |
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