2nd Floor/ Marlene & Nathan Addlestone Library
Take a glance into the concept of Wade in the Water by stopping into the College of Charleston Addlestone Library. This project is a component part of a larger installation called Wade In The Water, by John Duckworth, class of 1999, in conjunction with the College of Charleston’s Sustainability Literacy Initiative. John and the CofC's SLI team are coming together to educate Charleston's students and community on climate change and sea-level rise.
The Anthropocene
the geological period during which human activity has been the dominant influence on climate and the environment
Duckworth’s 2017 installation Wade in the Water contained a projected slideshow of diptychs created to demonstrate visual parallels between the effects of climate change in downtown Charleston and Antarctica. The photograph on the left comes from Garrett Budds who accompanied polar explorer and environmentalist Sir Robert Swan on an expedition to Antarctica. The photograph on the right comes from Charleston based photographer John Gaulden who has been documenting the impacts of sea level rise in Charleston.
Wade in the Water is an on-going exhibition focusing on portraying the interconnectedness between the environment and human impact. Duckworth reflects on this relationship saying:
“We are so disconnected from nature that we have forgotten that we are nature. Once this relationship is personally acknowledged, people tend to perceive the world differently; we begin to practice life more harmoniously with the rest of the natural world. We should be curious about our role in the larger ecosystem and our innate connection to it all. Our actions have consequences and we, as a species, have the unique ability to consider this and respond accordingly. The creativity and ingenuity of the human spirit is boundless, let’s surprise each other.”
To contribute to John Duckworth’s ongoing climate change conversation leave a voicemail at 843-608-3420. You are invited to leave thoughts and reflections in whatever means you desire, be it a story, song, poem, feeling, fear, statement, etc. Your contribution could be used in further presentations of the Wade in the Water , as part of an original smart-phone activated locative audio presentation.
call to lend your voice to the conversation
Photo Credit: http://sustain.cofc.edu/
The College of Charleston is emphasizing sustainability literacy because it wants students to be capable of addressing and resolving big 21st-century problems.
SPECIAL THANKS
Burton Callicott
Caroline Foster
The Whole Sustainability Literacy Institute
John Ritenour
The Whole Red Falcon Ink Team