2025
Public space installation that explores the deep-time materiality of coal and its contributions to climate breakdown.
Formed in tropical rainforest swamplands, coal stores the energy of an ancient sun that shone 300 million years ago. When burnt, it releases the photosynthetic memory of these plants into the atmosphere, connecting the deep-time past with the present, and the possibilities of our futures.
The installation contrasts coal with drawings of ancient carboniferous plants that lived in the region, inviting viewers to re-imagine the landscape, reflect on plants’ ability to accumulate carbon, and the impact of fossil fuels on our present ecosystems.
The work was conceived and installed at the Botanical Garden of Almaty (Kazakhstan), during the exhibition Ancient Futures. In 2025, Kazakhstan remains the second world producer of coal after China, and more than fifty percent of its energy comes from the combustion of this fossil energy source.
Botanical drawings, safety glass, stainless steel, mineral coal
450 x 200 x 70 cm
Botanical Garden of Almaty, Kazakhstan
Produced with the generous support of the Spanish Embassy in Kazakhstan, and the production team of Ancient Futures