S+T+ARTS4Water II Challenge and STARTS Residency
Kasia Molga – Tracing Oil. Uncovering Forgotten Spaces
Host / Region
Drugo More/ Rijecka, Croatia – Port Of Rijeka
Abstract
The residency invites an artist to explore the development of an innovative approach to research and presentation of traces of human activity in the port area specifically designated to transportation and servicing the oil industry.
Keywords
oil, port, ecosystem, sedimentation, erosion
Description of the regional challenge
In the marine environment of Rijeka, the oil industry has maintained a presence since the 1880s, prompting the establishment of a petroleum port in the city centre during that era. This port was fully abandoned in 2008, while the tanker terminal, along with most oil processing operations had been relocated outside the city centre since the 1960s. Over these nearly 150 years, significant advancements in technology have occurred, enhancing safety measures. However, the fundamental processes of oil import, processing, and export of derivatives have remained consistent. Notably, our societal perspective on oil has evolved, evident in the increased focus on safety protocols and the shift of production away from public view into what could be termed ‘forgotten’ spaces.
Oil found in the sea due to human activities is usually associated with tanker disasters and wartime actions. However, most oil found in the sea is there due to regular operations of the oil industry. Equipment malfunctions and human errors are the cause of continuous oil leaks from wells, refineries, and tankers. The longer such facilities exist in our environment, the greater the probability of oil leakage that leaves traces even after these facilities cease operation. These traces are visible in industrial facilities, breakwaters, and ports that are still in use or being transformed or abandoned, but also in less visible changes in soil composition and seabed, and sea chemistry, which significantly determine living conditions for marine flora and fauna.
How is the mission S+T+ARTS driven?
The intersection of science, technology, and art can help us understand what happens in the space where the oil industry meets the sea to advance our understanding of these processes and act accordingly.
During the residency, participants will have possibilities to collaborate with experts across various disciplines, supported by Drugo more and the Port of Rijeka Authority, a non-profit state institution for governance and development of port area in Rijeka, throughout the research and production phases.
Artist-in-residency – Kasia Molga
Kasia Molga (UK/PL) is a design fusionist, artist, environmentalist, creative coder and technologist who for over a decade has sought ways of collaboration with nature, predominantly focusing on the ever-changing human relation to and perception of the natural environment and fellow ‘earthlings’. Her award winning work has been exhibited worldwide (i,e. Ars Electronica, Tate Modern, MIS (BR), Centre Pompidou and more). Kasia is an alumni of many international art & science residencies and has lectured and mentored regularly in the EU and UK. An affinity with the ocean is evident in Kasia’s work, born from her time growing up on merchant navy vessels with her sailor father. She is the proud holder of a diving license and feels as at home on or under water as she does on land.
About The Project – Tracing Oil. Uncovering Forgotten Spaces
Even if we cease extracting oil tomorrow, the aftermath of petro-supremacy will haunt us and marine ecosystems for many years. It is vital then that we foster compassion alongside scientific understanding of our fellow earth inhabitants.
In this new body of work Kasia Molga will dive beneath the Adriatic Sea to amplify the presence of often overlooked underwater ecosystems, and to investigate ways to effectively depict marine interspecies communities impacted by long-term oil seeps. She will create a multimedia database by taking underwater photographs, video and audio recordings, 3d scans, and notes. This will provide a foundation for the engaging, poetic, and accessible narrative about the non-binary entanglements of oil toxicity; the state of constant flux in the water; the interrelation of oil deposits in sediment; interspecies relations within petro-entanglements. As well as holding scientific value this will nurture empathy and new understanding of these worlds and their importance to us-humans.
Furthermore, Kasia will develop a “formula” for fellow divers to contribute observations to the dataset that will be used to train AI models to detect oil toxicity levels.
Although this work will be Rijeka focussed, the methodology of data collection developed here will have application potential worldwide.
Jury Statement
“The selected proposal is well-suited to the local context addressing all aspects of the problem (material, social, environmental). It mobilizes a specific community (divers) to observe the consequences of continuous oil leaks and spills from the ground (due to the porous karst terrain where the former refinery is located) and the regular operations of the oil industry. It includes creating a dataset for developing an AI model for recognizing oil toxicity and examining the interrelationships of marine organisms and the changes caused by oil spills and leaks. Collaboration with the scientific community and promoting citizen scientist concept within the local diving community are key components. The project’s methodology involves selecting three locations with varying levels of oil spill impact to conduct and record observations and create a dataset (3D scanning). This will be compared with existing research to obtain a more comprehensive picture of the state of the Rijeka aquatorium. The exhibition aspect of the project is also developed to convey the recorded knowledge and tools in the format of an exhibition installation. This aims to present not only facts to the public but also to create a strong emotional connection with marine organisms, the seabed, and the sea..“
