Where Once the Waters
By how much has the sea nearest your birthplace risen across your lifetime?
In an effort to bring home the topic of sea rise and offer relatable figures, A La Luz co-founder David Cass has started a project that seeks to discover how much the seas nearest our birthplaces have risen across our lifetimes. Average sea level readings are widely reported, but lost in average figures are the various local factors that make for wide ranging fluctuations in levels of rise around the world.
Based on local readings gathered by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration, I know that the sea level near Edinburgh has risen by over 62mm since I was born there in 1988. Since my colleague Gonzaga was born in Bilbao in 1985, sea level in the Bay of Biscay has risen by over 75mm. Since our friend Joseph was born on the island of Gozo in 1981, the sea around his island has risen by over 111mm.
The aim is to present figures specific to each of us, personalising the topic.
By providing your name, birth year and place of birth, the level of sea rise nearest your birthplace will be calculated and added to a new artwork, set for release during the 2021 Venice Biennale.
Satellite images above © Google Earth / Digital Globe 2019
