Desert islands : an atlas of archipelagic laboratories

Abstract

Desert Island: An Atlas of Archipelagic Laboratories is a research focusing on island territories as specific ecosystems. In the Anthropocene Epoch, the history of the 21st century will be written on water as identify as the most strategic territory on earth. With rising sea levels, the oceans have become both the new frontier and the last space to be either discovered for the benefit of humankind, or condemned as the locus of our final demise. Having long played a major role in nourishing the imagination and establishing new points of reference in defining the world, islands offer possibilities for expansion and opportunities to start anew. This research proposes a cataloguing of 100 islands according to either how they serve the world by developing laboratories to expand or contract the imaginary perspective of the entire world. The islands are divided into 12 categories: like for instance to mentioned few, serving as nuclear or military facilities, drug or tax paradise, jail, slave trade, entertainment activities. Presented in various formats, the 100 islands appear as a fragmented map of the world engraved in 100 mirrors positioning the island with geographic accuracy (name, latitude and longitude). In addition to the two-dimensional mural, a three-dimensional sculpture (shape of an Island with a palm tree) invites the viewer to sit, relax, and hear different stories from these islands.