Aroussiak Gabrielian

SUMMER 2024 ArtsUP! at FATVillage METAVERSE

Phantom Ecology
Before the establishment of Everglades National Park, the Everglades was as a thriving ecosystem and vast watershed, stretching from the Orlando area to the Florida Bay. This expansive marshland was a vibrant lifeline for the land’s original stewards—the Calusa peoples to the West, and the Ais, Jeaga, and Tequesta peoples to the East. Deemed inhospitable by nineteenth-century European settlers, vast portions of the Everglades were extensively drained and developed for agriculture and urban purposes. These actions drastically altered the ecosystem, transforming South Florida into the vacation and retirement destination it is today.

Located at the former site of FATVillage in Fort Lauderdale, once known for its wet prairies, mangrove swamps, and cypress forests, Phantom Ecology seeks to acknowledge and reflect on the once-vibrant ecosystem that existed here prior to its development. Much like how the Metaverse is utilized to preserve and celebrate the essence of FATVillage's creative community, so too is it used to honor the living systems that once thrived here.

At the heart of the installation is a monumental, uprooted forest of cypress trees—emblematic of the Everglades ecosystem. These trees are displayed hanging upside-down, allowing visitors to engage with their exposed root systems, which once supported a diversity of organisms and served as an intricate network of nutrient and information exchange. The soundscape surrounding the piece makes palpable the frequencies of sound and unheard vibrations of energy emitted by the once living cypress forest—presented now as phantom sounds.

The intention for the uprooted forest is to immerse visitors in the highly altered environmental context of the FATVillage site, serving as a starting point for rethinking its future. The aim is to allow visitors to process both that which has been lost and the loss that is assured to come. Phantom Ecology aims to foster conversation about our relationship with the material world, offering a space for contemplation, reflection, and possibly even healing.