2019 - 2021

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Canary in the Coal Mine is a silent montage video series (5 mins each) on climate change in Miami. It captures the artist’s life experiences with climate change in black & white moving images while a seemingly random colored still image of a yellow canary abruptly interrupts the viewing experience. The canary interrupts the motion picture in increasing intervals correlated with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s graph of the ocean heat storage rise from 1998 onwards. Metaphorically, the video series highlights global warming’s detrimental effects. And the bright colored still image of the canary, iconically used to detect human risk in a coal mine, warns of danger. 

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This work gives me hope because bringing light to existing problems lies our ability to develop innovative solutions towards positive change. Exploring options such as renewable energy integration, carbon sequestration, desertification prevention and conscious consumption pushes improvement forward. However, effective communication and policy support are vital. - CYJO