NYSCA supports UB installation reflecting on media, ecology and AI

“A battle unfolds on a giant cube,” says Christine Marie, assistant teaching professor in the Department of Media Study, describing her latest project, which has received an Individual Artist Grant from the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA).

The installation, “Analog as Nature,” explores environmental precarity through the interplay of analog and digital imagery projected onto the surfaces of a 10-foot cube. Marie harnesses the theatricality of light and shadow, layering collages of moving film and photographic transparencies — cast from below — to form natural landscapes. Over time, they are disrupted by oversaturated, AI-generated digital projections mounted from above that depict climate-induced disasters such as rising tides and wildfires.

“Analog versus digital. Nature versus destruction. The convergence and clash of these visuals invite viewers to reflect on the fragility of our environment and the profound consequences of unchecked technological advancement,” Marie explains.

The installation, Marie says, is inspired by Rachel Carson, a pioneering environmentalist and social revolutionary known as the “Mother of the Modern Environmental Movement.” In her pivotal book, “Silent Spring” (1962), Carson warned of the dangers that chemical pesticides pose to natural systems. Marie builds on Carson’s critique of modern science and technology, raising urgent questions about humanity’s relationship with nature: Who has the right to exploit, contaminate or deplete vital ecosystems, especially freshwater resources?

“I often gift others Rachel Carson’s final book, ‘The Sense of Wonder,’” Marie says. “Unlike ‘Silent Spring,’ which delivers a scientific and urgent warning, ‘The Sense of Wonder’ is a lyrical and philosophical meditation — one that inspires readers to reconnect with the natural world. It is both a celebration of nature’s beauty and a call to action for its preservation.

“I want my students to know Carson’s work, to draw inspiration from her legacy and to transform that inspiration into art, action and environmental worlding — as a worldview that recognizes the interconnectedness of all living things and understands our planet as a single, complex ecological system shaped by human actions."

Marie’s large-scale installation juxtaposes the old and the new. “I’m excited to display numerous devices originating from different eras, including overhead projectors to create natural settings (1850), 16mm film to craft moving textures (1924), my handmade stereoscopes to explore the intimacy of 3D shadow grams (1925), high-powered DLP projectors to seemingly ‘melt’ analog images (1998) and modern AI generators to depict global warming (2022–present),” she explains. This multilayered construction of devices embodies the field of media archaeology, which the Department of Media Study defines as an “examination of the ways in which media formats and technologies have both contributed to and, in turn, been influenced by broader societal shifts.”

By personifying the natural world through analog imagery, Marie aims to highlight its organic beauty. Shadows, photographic transparencies and lo-fi cinematic images, she points out, “possess a unique, almost visceral quality — they evoke a gestalt, inviting our minds to fill in the gaps, making the experience inherently interactive.”

In stark contrast, her use of digital video emits high-lumen, pixelated light to depict climate catastrophe. This contrast creates a powerful metaphor for an ecosystem spiraling out of control due to global heating. The tension between these visual languages becomes a striking lens through which to examine humanity’s role in the environmental crisis.

“One of the joys of creating art is answering the questions that arise within the work,” Marie says. “For example, what does AI-generated imagery mean for the visualization of climate change?”

When AI technology first emerged, Marie recalls, its images were highly stylized and easily identifiable as synthetic. She notes that these “synthetic visuals” often spread partisan narratives, where facts became secondary to aesthetics. By incorporating and interrogating these images within her own work, she aims to uncover the ethical complexities surrounding AI technology.

Marie is among the 2,000 artists and organizations who were recently awarded $8.2 million from the NYSCA in an effort to foster and advance the full breadth of New York State’s arts, culture and creativity for all.

“On behalf of the council and staff, I am so proud that we are supporting the critical work of so many nonprofit organizations across the state, including work at the University at Buffalo,” says NYSCA Executive Director Erika Mallin. “New York State’s art and culture nonprofits make us a global leader, strengthening our connections to each other and the larger world.”

As for what guides Marie’s compelling and otherworldly orchestration of shadows and images, she says it’s personal. “My primary art practice has long revolved around expanded cinema performances using light. The devices and materials I rely on — such as halogen light bulbs and colored gels — are becoming endangered, no longer manufactured. Without them, I can’t achieve the same look or quality. Their disappearance is more than just a technical limitation; it speaks to a broader loss — of analog textures, qualities of light and sound, and the tactile, hands-on artistry that defines my work.”

The first work-in-progress showing of “Analog as Nature” will be held on Earth Day, April 22, in the Department of Media Study’s Production Studio Art Space.

Marie is also partnering with the Buffalo Olmsted Parks Conservancy, which will host a series of art-filled events inspired by “Analog as Nature.”

Additional information about the installation and exhibits can be found on Marie’s website.