Your local TV meteorologist or your phone’s weather app can predict the chance of rain, but they can’t (or won’t) tell you how likely the end of the world is on a given day. In “Weather Center for the Apocalypse,” artist Amelia Marzec combines traditional weather forecasting with other forms of divination, as well as crowdsourced concerns, to paint a more holistic picture of the weather.
Marzec began the project two years ago with a series of daily weather forecast videos, and it’s been evolving ever since. The latest iteration, on view this week at Harvestworks, will feature a homemade weather tower alongside a personal satellite radio system called “Future Satellite.” In both cases, Marzec has taken a DIY approach of piecing together materials and methods to create fully functional devices and systems (the tower will display live data; the satellite will transmit a radio program). She will serve as the meteorologist, reading the weather instruments and mixing their information with intel from other sources — including the farmer’s almanac, horoscopes, and anecdotal news — to deliver unique forecasts. She’ll also offer resources for dealing with disasters and talk to visitors about their fears. The resulting installation “predicts changes in our environment and culture that could affect the autonomy of citizens in the event of disaster. … It strengthens our ties for the times when we will need to rely on each other.” Times like now, when the apocalypse seems upon us every day.
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