Floating on an Ocean of Air: Exploring the intersections of art, activism and science

In episode four of The Subverse, host Susan Mathews talks with Joaquin Ezcurra, an intrepid and adventurous cartographer, marine technician and web developer. Since 2017, Joaquin has been actively involved in Aerocene, an open-source, experimental practice and movement for eco-social justice founded by artist Tomás Saraceno and carried forward by a growing global community since 2015. Aerocene uses art, site-specific installations and augmented reality sculptures to promote climate change awareness. Joaquin has been involved in its aero-solar flight operations, digital strategies, website development, app development, communications, acts as a community liaison, and documents the movement through thousands of images and videos. 

Air and the atmosphere, Joaquin reminds us, are the ultimate commons. As Evangelista Torricelli, the inventor of the barometer, famously said, we live at the bottom of an ocean of air. But today, the air is highly controlled, for political, military and commercial reasons. Aerocene imagines a utopia, allowing us to dream of a world in which we may take more time and a more winding route to reach our destination; and our destinations themselves may change. Over the last decade, Aerocene has had projects on six continents, 37 countries and 158 locations, and a total 218 flights. It has evolved from an art and science project to an art and activism project.

Joaquin emphasised however, that the story of the movement is not only one of triumphs but failures and learning. The need for safety came into focus early when, while piloting an experimental flight, Tomás Saraceno fell from a significant height, sustaining injuries that required surgery. Since then, the Aerocene community has embraced the highest aeronautical safety protocols and only involves professional balloon pilots for aerosolar free-flights.

A milestone for the Aerocene movement was the 2020 flight of the Aerocene Pacha. A team comprised of Argentine and foreign pilots, the indigenous communities of the Salinas Grandes fighting for their rights, and BTS fans, in the middle of the salt flats of Argentina were witness to a flight that broke 32 FAI world records for altitude and distance. The flight was piloted by Leticia Marqués, a kindergarten teacher turned professional balloon pilot. It was livestreamed around the world, carrying a message chosen by the local First Nation communities: ‘water and life are worth more than lithium’. It was, as Joaquin describes, a sight never seen; a compelling intersection of science, art, activism and music communities coming together.

We then discussed the issues with the ‘green transition’, which is a shift to electric vehicles in Europe and other countries in the guise of environmental concerns. However, the mining of lithium, which is fuelling this shift, is destructive, and needs extractive infrastructure so vast that one can only comprehend it from a plane or a satellite. It is destroying the salt flats of Argentina, a crucial wetland that serves as a migratory hub for birds in the Americas. In 2023, the Aerocene community gathered in Alfarcito, Argentina, where some of the country’s top environmentalist, sociologist lawyers, philosophers, artists, writers and poets issued a declaration based on the idea of the rights of nature for the Salinas Grandes in Alfarcito. This hasn’t stopped mining companies, but these efforts have stood along these communities and slowed the advance of mining in this region. 

Geopolitics has long been rooted in land ownership, projected upward into the air, and down into the earth. But the atmosphere is more than a void above the land. Recognizing the rights of air means acknowledging its agency in sustaining life. We need to move away from this colonial capitalist view and increase the connections in our lives. Aerocene’s Museo Aero Solar, a free and open source project, to build a living museum with nothing more than a few thousand plastic bags and many volunteers, is the perfect tool for this. It brings people together and reminds us that when you have this strong, local connections, as Joaquin says, magic happens.

This season of The Subverse has been produced by Tushar Das. A special thank you to Julian Wey for access to his Qumquat studio and Daniel Schwenger for his assistance. 

Read more about Aerocene in our interview with Claudia Aboaf, a writer, teacher and astrologer who has worked closely with the collective. 

More about the guest:

Joaquín Ezcurra is a cartographer, artist, and researcher whose practice explores alternative ways of seeing and representing natural phenomena, combining science with sensitivity in the context of the climate emergency. He has collaborated with leading cultural and scientific institutions worldwide, and since 2017 has been a core collaborator with the Aerocene Foundation and the worldwide Aerocene community.