‘Breath(e)’ brings climate conversations from California to the Gulf Coast
A 3D-printed sculpture of the Houston skyline is slowly being eaten away by plastic-consuming enzymes at the Moody Center for the Arts. The piece is part of the center’s newest exhibition, “Breathe(e): Toward Climate and Social Justice,” which opened Friday, Jan. 24.
“Breath(e)” is an interdisciplinary exploration of the climate crisis and environmental justice and features works by 14 artists globally.
The gradually disintegrating Houston skyline piece was created by artist Xin Lu, artist-in-residence at Rice’s Houston Asian American Archive, in collaboration with the George N. Phillips, Jr. lab at the BioScience Research Collaborative. It stands alongside other works, including painting, sculpture and video, according to Erin Rolfs, marketing and communications director at the Moody.
“This exhibition … extends the academic conversation about sustainability, which is a focus for so many disciplines at Rice, to include artists who explore the climate crisis and environmental justice,” Rolfs wrote in an email to the Thresher.
According to Rolfs, “Breath(e)” is a traveling exhibition that originated at the Hammer Museum in Los Angeles and has been reimagined to respond to the Gulf Coast region and the unique architecture of the Moody Center. The exhibit was organized by Alison Weaver, executive director at the Moody, and will be on view through May 10.
Kirra Phillips, head gallery guide at the Moody, said that the exhibition’s opening reception Friday, Jan. 24, had over 800 visitors, an increase from the last gallery opening with 500 visitors. The Moody Student Collaborative also hosted a student opening reception Saturday, Jan. 25, featuring live music by student band Igneous Bliss and hands-on activities including succulent planting and pot decorating.
“We’ve been getting more people coming into the Moody ever since we’ve been doing more social media outreach,” Phillips, a Martel College junior, said.
Phillips said she enjoyed seeing many different artistic styles and topics come together with a common theme in “Breath(e)”.
“The idea behind the exhibit and the name was … breath as an act of both resistance and sustenance,” Phillips said. “The exhibit was made with the events of 2020 in mind, thinking about … face masks [during the pandemic] and also the murder of George Floyd, where breathing is a critical act of social change and reform.”
The works on display present diverse perspectives on the climate crisis, exploring alternative futures, marginalized voices and creative approaches to sustainability, wrote Rolfs. “Breath(e)” offers students the chance to engage with these topics in ways that transcend traditional academic disciplines.
“While [many students] realize the urgency around this topic, some may not know that there is value in experiencing how artists present alternative futures, alternate perspectives or different modes of learning,” Rolfs wrote. “These experiences can help shape how students approach this challenge as they pursue an education in STEM or the humanities.”
According to Rolfs, the enzymes developed for Xin Lu’s work exemplify such an intersection between science and the arts.
“This research has real-world applications, but the artistic presentation allows all of us to work it into our imaginations of … a more sustainable future,” Rolfs wrote.
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