En äng där flera människor

The Swamp Observatory

Artist: Urbonas studio
Parent project: Out of the Sky, into the Earth
Curator: Edi Muka, Helena Selder
City: Visby
Category: Temporary art, Tillfällig konst
HomeExplore the artArt projectsOut of the Sky, into the EarthThe Swamp Observatory

The Swamp Observatory is the continuation of a proposal developed by Nomeda and Gediminas Urbonas as part of New Perspectives Visborg, an urban development collaboration project between Public Art Agency Sweden, Baltic Art Center and Region Gotland. The project focuses on the plans for the development of storm-water ponds in northern Visborg.

En äng där flera människor
Image 1 of 2. Quagmire creatures, seagrass bacteria av Nomeda och Gedeminas Urbonas. Urbonas har låtit barn på Atheneskolan i Visby fantiserat fram möjliga invånare i Visborgsområdet. Dessa invånare kommer befolka ett AR-baserat konstverk som synliggör relationer mellan människor och mikroorganismer.
En plan grön gräsmatta med en gravsten som sticker upp bland animerade monster
Image 2 of 2. Urbonas har låtit barn på Atheneskolan i Visby fantiserat fram möjliga invånare i Visborgsområdet. Dessa invånare kommer befolka ett AR-baserat konstverk som synliggör relationer mellan människor och mikroorganismer.

The artists have created a conceptual frame and a digital tool in the form of an app that inhabitants and visitors can use to observe and imagine new species or habitats that the ponds can bring to life. For many years the artists have worked with the wetland as both, a biological concept and as environment. They see it as a model of coexistence between all the life forms that inhabit it, that we humans can learn from.

Through the use of Augmented Reality technique, the future reality of the Visborg fields is enriched with imaginary, yet unknown species – or monsters, as the artists prefer to call them – that have been created together with pupils from the Athene school. The surrounding environment is conceptually composed of five larger scenes with themes of carbon, sulfur, methane, nuclear and phosphorus. In the AR experience, the monsters flock around the scenes along the route. The user / explorer can search and follow the monsters hiding around imaginary ponds, while being seduced to discover short stories and engage in experiences as they unfold through sounds and monster’s messages.

The storm-water ponds and their function inspire thoughts about recovery and the importance of the lost wetlands of Gotland, in a time of global climate change. The Swamp Observatory’s digital instrument is built on participation and co-creation processes, providing a foundation for dialogue on sustainability issues in city planning from the perspective of the citizens both young and old.

About the artists

URBONAS STUDIO was founded by artists and educators Nomeda & Gediminas Urbonas, based in Cambridge, Massachusetts and Vilnius, Lithuania. Urbonas Studio is an interdisciplinary research practice that facilitates exchange amongst diverse nodes of knowledge production and artistic practice in pursuit of projects that transform civic spaces and collective imaginaries. Urbonas are researching and teaching at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA.

Find the artwork

Toftavägen 30, 622 59 Visby, Sverige