Augures D’innocence
Survey of selected works from 1996 through 2013
26 May – 30 September 2013

DOMAINE DÉPARTEMENTAL DE CHAMARANDE
38 rue du Commandant Arnoux
91730 Chamarande
France
Contact : +33 1 60 82 52 01 or +33 1 60 82 26 57
chamarande@essonne.fr
www.chamarande.essonne.fr

For nearly two decades, artist and biologist Brandon Ballengée has bridged the gap between art and science by combining his fascination with research of the living world with his art practice. Using this dual approach, at the borders of art and biology, he creates beautifully poetic works, which are not only metaphors of life, but are intended to heighten our awareness to the preciousness and vulnerability of the environment.

His work is inspired by the study of biodiversity, ecological changes and the decline of species. It is developed from his direct experience and study of ecosystems, especially bio-indicator species such as amphibians, birds, fish and insects. The artist dedicates himself to field surveys around the world, collaborating alongside renowned researchers, as well as the general public. Using the results of his scientific research, Ballengée, as ‘bio-artist”, portrays the health of our ecosystems by giving visual presence to ecological demise. His two-faceted approach has resulted in not only a substantial contribution to the scientific community, but also numerous exhibitions in important cultural institutions around the world. He employs media as diverse as chemically-altered specimens, laboratory video, scanner photograph, and even full ecosystems displaced as installations. Consequently, the artist expands the rules of museum spaces, normally static and controlled, to include the display of living organisms and their milieu, to offer a glimpse of the chaos inherent in nature and evolution.

Named after the poem Auguries of Innocence (1803) by William Blake, Augures d’Innocence, will be Ballengée’s first solo exhibition in France and presents a large survey of work that recounts the artist’s path since his exhibition debut in 1996. From his on-going MALAMP or Malformed Amphibian Project begun in 1996, over twenty works spanning nearly fifteen years of work about amphibian deformities will be on view. The abnormalities were caused by varying factors, including predators, parasites, increased by the pollution of these species in natural environments, and this series includes specimens very recently made during his residency at Chamarande in 2012. Also included are Reliquaries (2001-ongoing), toddler-sized images of deformed specimens; and Styx (2007-ongoing), a sculptural installation including real specimens of preserved and chemically-altered multi-limbed frogs found in nature.

Frameworks of Absence (2006-ongoing) is a series that poignantly addresses bird extinction. For these works, the artist literally cut out the images of extinct species from authentic and historic illustrations by the great naturalist John James Audubon (1785-1851). Paying tribute to the work of Charles Darwin (1809-1882), Ballengée’s A Habit of Deciding Influence (2003-12) is a series of portraits of actual pigeons used in Darwin’s breeding experiments and mentioned in Origin of Species. In addition, historical specimens borrowed from Le Museum National d’Historie Naturelle de Paris and the Musee de-la Nature will be displayed in the installation Apparitions (2013).

Finally, several new large-scale works will be exhibited, including Prelude to the Collapse of the North Atlantic (2013). This work is devoted to the breakdown of the food chain and marine ecosystems of the French Atlantic coast. It echoes the recent work of the artist on the ecological disaster in the Gulf of Mexico, on the other side of the Ocean, following the explosion of British Petroleum’s Deepwater Horizon oil-rig in 2010.

Curated by
COAL the coalition for art and sustainable development
www.projetcoal.fr

http://www.ressource0.com/praeter-naturam-un-projet-de-brandon-ballengee/

Dark Stream: The Transatlantic migration of Deepwater Horizon effluents in popular British seafood

Commissioned by Arts Catalyst (England)

Project description:
The 2010 Deepwater Horizon oil spill was the largest environmental catastrophe in North American history, however the long-term impacts and potential geographic range of contamination has not been well explored outside the Gulf of Mexico. In this project the potential transatlantic biological transportation of Deepwater Horizon (DWH) oil spill effluents to England via popular British seafood choices will be examined. Here through a participatory biology and ecological art project we will analyze tissue samples from select Gulf fishes, crustaceans and shellfish from London seafood markets, sushi restaurants and chips for levels of signature DWH contaminates (e.g. unique carbon isotope “fingerprints”). Investigating such contaminates will be conducted through eco-toxicological screening methods for soluble petrochemicals, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs), and others. As such DWH contaminated specimens may enter London culinary venues from local catches via natural migration (e.g. the Gulf Stream, migratory and irruptive) or be transported directly from the Gulf (nonmigratory) based on Gourmet demand. Likewise, the potential health impacts for British consumers eating such Gulf species has not previously been explored.

Background to research:
The 2010 Deep Water Horizon Oil Spill was the largest environmental disaster in the history of the United States. Literally billions of marine organisms were impacted. Although the eco-toxicological impacts of the spill has left the media headlines, Gulf species and ecosystems continue to show the effects of the catastrophe and the teratological dispersants BP used to “clean” the oil. Over the past two years, numerous cases of unusual lesions, missing eyes and other morphological abnormalities have been reported among popular seafood such as commercial fishes, shrimp and shellfish. These reports have been isolated to the Gulf region, however natural marine species migrations following the Gulf Stream, suggests such contaminates may be far more wide-spread than thought. As large-numbers of fishes and crustaceans utilize the warm Gulf as a nursery, young animals may be exposed to DWH byproducts. In addition alpha trophic species such as some sharks and tuna have likely bio-accumulated varied degrees of potentially harmful DWH residual products as they work their way up the food-chain. Likewise, species such as Gulf shrimp (Penaeus species) and groupers (subfamily Epinephelinae) are commonly exported to England and mainland Europe, potentially spreading DWH pollutants across the Atlantic into the homes of countless consumers. None of these potential questions have been well-explored scientifically, and no experiments confirming nor negating DWH effluents in seafood have been conducted in Europe yet.

In 2012 Ballengée with Dubansky and Rudloe, examined and compared 688 Grass or “Popcorn” shrimp (Palaemonetes species) collected in the fall of 2012 from sites in Louisiana that were heavily exposed to DWH effluents compared to those sampled from sites in Florida with minimal exposure. All shrimps were analyzed for obvious developmental abnormalities. The results showed that in comparison, Shrimps sampled from Florida sites with limited exposure to DWH pollutants had far fewer abnormalities (7.6% overall) compared with those collected at sites with direct exposure, which in some cases was as high as 79.4% and over ten-fold increase. Some abnormalities in the Louisiana populations were severe and included one individual, which appears to have developed ectopic limbs growing from the middle abdomen. Seafood species such as Palaemonetes are not sedimentary, instead they migrate for large-distances following the Gulf Stream currents and irruptive behaviors. Further research is importantly needed to better understand the impact of such high levels of deformities among wildlife populations, how wide-spread DWH contaminated seafood may travel and any potential impacts it could have of humans consuming such species.

Materials and methods:
Muscle and liver tissue samples will be harvested from marine species known to occupy the Gulf of Mexico at some point in their reproductive cycles. A central focus will be species that are commonly consumed in England such as larger predatory species such as Yellowfin tuna (Thunnus albacares), Atlantic swordfish (Xiphias gladius) and some sharks. Tissues from smaller intra-trophic species such as Groupers (subfamily Epinephelinae) and Atlantic mackerel (Scomber scombrus) will also be examined along with the Gulf shrimp (Penaeus species) and the shellfish, American oysters (Crassostrea virginica). Once collected muscle and liver tissues will be dried, ground, emulsified and screened for carbon isotope values through a the use of  mass spectrometry to identify potential unique carbon isotope DWH signatures.

Here are  images from a field trip to collect Gulf of Mexico specimens from Billingsgate Market, London in July 2013

field trip to collect Gulf of Mexico specimens from Billingsgate Market, London July 2013