In Conversation: Lauren Shapiro, Dr. Nyssa Silbiger, and Dr. Shireen Rahimi on Future Pacific
Join us for a virtual presentation with visual artist Lauren Shapiro, marine ecologist Dr. Nyssa Silbiger, and filmmaker and marine anthropologist Dr. Shireen Rahimi, as they discuss the making of the exhibition Future Pacific, currently on view at the Bakehouse Art Complex.
Moderated by Bakehouse Curatorial + Public Programs Associate, Laura Novoa, the conversation will focus on the intersection of art and science and the collaborative, community-driven approach manifested in the development and execution of the exhibition. A screening of Dr. Rahimi’s short film documenting the process involved in creating the exhibit will be shared with the public for the first time.
To register for this session, please access the following link.
About the exhibition
Future Pacific is an exhibition of large-scale structures covered in 15,000 pounds of clay textures sourced from coral reefs. Over the course of a month, Miami-based artist Lauren Shapiro worked with the public offering clay-molding workshops to layer the clay over the subverted architectural forms. Through this monumental installation, Shapiro aims to cultivate environmental stewardship in the local community and provide a platform for researchers who work to preserve and protect endangered marine ecosystems.
About the participants
Shireen Rahimi is an Iranian/American filmmaker, photographer, scientist, National Geographic Explorer, and founder of Lightpalace, a visual media production company. Through her work, she portrays stories about human relationships to nature—stories that are emotional, visceral, and unexpected—to help us radically reimagine our collective relationship with the natural world.
Lauren Shapiro is a visual artist living and working in Miami, Florida. She earned an MFA in Ceramics from the University of Miami. She utilizes a multi-step casting process in clay resulting in modular sculptures and installations that reference systems and visual orders found in nature. Her work draws inspiration from environmental research and data, ceramics and social practice.
Nyssa Silbiger is a marine ecologist and Assistant Professor at California State University, Northridge. Her research is focused on the interactive effects of local (e.g. nutrient pollution) and global (e.g. climate change) human-driven stressors on coastal marine ecosystems. For the research project associated with Future Pacific, she is studying the impact of groundwater on coral reefs to better predict how both natural and human-induced changes will affect coastal ecosystem functioning in the future. Dr. Silbiger is passionate about sharing the results of her research to broad audiences in creative ways.
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This exhibition is generously sponsored by Thea, Jordyn, Jayde, Alexander, and Jonathan Mitzman, in honor of Robert Mitzman’s birthday and to celebrate his spirit of curiosity and imagination and the family’s interest in environmental protection advocacy.
Future Pacific was also funded, in part, by the National Science Foundation (Bio-OCE: 1924281), CSUN, Silbiger Labs, Mason Colorworks and Highwater Clay.
Image: Installation view of Future Pacific. Image by Pedro Wazzan, 2020. Courtesy of the artist.