Orbital

Orbital, 2024, Back projection, mini screen array, board. 

A multiscreen installation looking at the relationship between space weather, Earth's magnetic field, human infrastructure and non-human navigation. The Sun is about 150 million kilometres from Earth, but space weather can affect Earth and the rest of the solar system. It can cause damage to satellites and electrical blackouts on Earth. Small satellites have come to dominate low Earth orbit, and we have become reliant on this technology for communication, military strategy, and data gathering. A blast of high energy particles hitting Earth during a solar storm can interfere with Earth's magnetic field, confusing birds that use this for navigation. There is also new research that might suggest the number of satellites orbiting Earth and the growing satellite space junk graveyard could weaken Earth's protective magnetic field, making us even more vulnerable to space weather and cosmic radiation. In acknowledging these risks we can gain an awareness of our vulnerability to the forces of nature and a respect for the power of the sun, the protection offered by our home planet, and the interconnectedness of the universe.