January 7, 2015 — Entire museums have been dedicated to showcasing ecological fragility. But in a new exhibition at the National Academy of Sciences, New York-based artist Brandon Ballengée does it with surprising compactness.
Ballengée’s installation, “Collapse”—a cri de coeur for the impacts of the 2010 Gulf of Mexico oil spill—consists of a pyramid constructed from glass jars. Though the table can be circumnavigated by foot in just a few seconds, Jars whole viewit includes a stunningly broad selection of preserved specimens of aquatic organisms from the Gulf—26,162, to be precise, representing 370 species.
The jars entomb octopi, rays, crabs, and fish, preserved in fluid that ranges from clear to piss-yellow. The message of the installation is straightforward: We must safeguard susceptible ecologies like that of the Gulf of Mexico.
The pyramidal shape, redolent of disappeared civilizations, is an inspired organizing principle. Yet a lack of clarity about the fate of the species on display muddies the exhibit’s message.
Read the full story at Washington City Paper