Graduation project
After the Pyrocene
Nico Neves
A scorched forest made of digital textures highlights the impact of digital technologies on humans’ relationship with nature in the context of megafires.
Last summer, his grandmother's village forest in Portugal burned. Far away, in France, Nico Neves witnessed the fire through digital glimpses via calls, pictures, and the news. The Pyrocene considers the Anthropocene from the perspective of fire — how the human ability to control and lose control of fire has impacted the planet’s geology. After the Pyrocene is a surreal installation of a scorched forest created by juxtaposing virtual forms and real-world textures to evoke a feeling of solastalgia — the emotional distress caused by environmental change. The project prompts reflection on the impact of digital technology on our relationship with nature in the face of megafires.