Cecilia Jonsson
Cecilia Jonsson is a visual artist that explores the nature in various ways.
Her approach is a research based method, that consist of installation, sculpture, sound, image and kinetic works. In many of her project she works very site specific, especially in relation to nature, where she investigations both physical and ideological properties of the raw materials that form the basis of human existence, from origins deep down in the earth, to the extraction, transformation and global exploitation.
Photo of Cecilia Jonsson
Chosen Works
Tides
Tides is something that is a highly discussed topic these days in
relation the the global warming and rising sea levels. That the
tides are rising because of the global warming is an fact and not
only does it affect environmentally and scientifically, but also
physically and psychologically in our cultural life.
Cecilia Jonsson project is a series of records presented
as recording of the tides through textile and time based photographic works.
The phenomena of liquid diffusion, tides explores the marine environment
and how it adapts to the gravitational interactions between earth,
the moon and the sun. Over myriad locations autonomous, textile-based
tide gauges absorb the waters’ approximate pH in attempt to register tidal
dynamics and the elusive concept known as the ‘mean sea level.
Scientific background
Tides are the rise and fall of the sea levels across the whole globe, which is especially noticeable along the coastlines. High tides and low tides are caused by the moon.
The sun and moon both hold sway over movements on earth, and the tension between sun, moon and earth causes the changes in the sea level. The moon’s gravitational pull generates the tidal force, which causes water on earth to bulge out on the side closest to the moon and the opposite side.
As the earth rotates, your current location on earth passes through both of the high tides and when your not on the bulges you experience low tide. This is something that every place on earth experience in some degree.
Tides are the gravitational pull from the moon. The earth rotates and the moon’s gravity pulls on different parts of our planet. Even though the moon only has about 1/100th the mass of earth, since it’s so close to us, it has enough gravity to move things around, like water. The moon pulls the water, and creates what we call the tidal force , but the moon also pulls the land, but it not noticeable for our eyes, but can be measured by instruments. The waters fluidity has a much easier time moving around then land.
The experience of low and high tides are different from place to place. This is because of the land formation on the earth. Some places the difference between low and high tides are very little and other places it can be drastic.
We also have these extreme tides, spring tides and neap tides. This happens when the earth, moon and sun line up, around full moon and new moon, the lunar and solar tides reinforce each other and creates an even more extreme tides. This happens around every two weeks.
Weather patterns also affect the water level. Strong winds can move water away from the coastlines and exaggerating low tides, and other winds can move the water towards the land. High pressure weather can push the sea levels down, and low pressure systems can cause tides that are much higher than predicted.
Rising sea level
There are several factors that can affect the sea level. The two most important ones are the ice that are melting in Greenland and Antarctica, and that water expands as it gets warmer. As the globe gets warmer the sea level rises. Measurements along the coasts of
the world show that the sea level has risen by more than 20 centimeters since the beginning of 1900. Since 1993, the sea level around the world have risen by 3.2 millimeters per year, and since the mid 1900s, sea levels have risen faster than before. As the global temperature rises, this will go faster and faster. The ice melting lying on land, such as the Greenland ice and the Antarctic continent, will be ha huge factor in the future. The sea level will rise about 60 meters if everything melts, fortunately it does not, but of greenhouse gas emissions continue to succeed today, one has calculated that the sea level will rise to 80 cm in this hundred years. If the heating is less than two degreed, the sea may rise about a half a meter towards the end of the century. We can with certainty say that the sea levels will rise about 50-80 centimeters in a very short period of time.
The map shows how Europe may look like in the future if the ices melts.
2019 normal high tide in Bergen
Overskrift 1
2090 extreme high tide in Bergen
2090 extreme high tide in Bergen
Methods
The method consist of dying fabric with natural pigments from vegetables. This is then installed in the ocean to record the changes in the sea level. When the sea rises and sinks it changes or erases the color in the fabric.
I had some difficulties because of the large amount of rain that disturbed the recording of the tides on my first tests, but i think that her project is very much about experiencing the tides in a 1:1 approach. While testing out her techniques i experienced how the ocean constantly rises and sinks, and how dramatic it would be if the sea level rises 80 centimeters.
Tides diagram in Bergen from www.Kartverket.no
Keywords
//Connected
1. Joined or linked together
2. Having the parts or elements logically linked together
//Dynamic
1. Marked by usually continuous and productive activity or change
2. Of or relating to physical force or energy
//Crucial
1. Important and significant.
2. Important or essential as resolving a crisis.
3. Marked by final determination of a doubtful issue.
//Complex
1. A whole made up of complicated or interrelated parts
2. A group of obviously related units of which the degree and nature of the relationship is imperfectly known.