Thijs Biersteker —UNESCO X WITHER A slice of rainforest disappearing at the Amazon deforestation rate.

WITHER
A slice of rainforest disappearing at the Amazon deforestation rate.

in collaboration with UNESCO

With no one to watch the Amazon deforestation is picking up with a baffling 71% these days.

This digital rainforest disappears in front of your eyes on the rate of deforestation happening right now.

Every leaf flickering stands for 128 M2 of rainforest disappearing in the Amazon (BR), based on the deforestation data from Amazon watch groups.

Uncovering the sheer loss of rainforest happing right now.

This slice of digital rainforest disappears at the same alarming rate as deforestation in the Amazon at this moment.

While we are in isolation deforestation has been in full acceleration. A staggering 71% increase has taken place during the Covid Pandemic.

This project was created in collaboration with Unesco and researcher Sacha Sian from Indiana University Bloomington (USA). Their calculations indicate that we are losing 641 square meters of rainforest per second. In the span of a day, this translates to 5 leaves flickering per second, each representing a loss of 128 square meters of rainforest. Altogether, this results in a shocking 55,400,000 square meters of rainforest disappearing each day.

The digital art installation 'Wither', created by Dutch eco-artist Thijs Biersteker, brings alive the abstract data that greatly affects the recovery of our ecosystem.

Controlled by the latest deforestation data, the leaves of this digital slice of rainforest turn transparent before your eyes. Every second, ten leaves disappear, with each flicker signifying the loss of 1280 square meters of rainforest. This installation serves as a living monument to the loss of precious rainforest, which is happening right now in some faraway, hidden location within the Amazon.

“ This artwork turns the deforestation data into something you can feel. ”

— Thijs Biersteker

'Wither' has been constructed using an adaptive set of deforestation data. The digital leaves turn transparent when a current is applied, making each leaf visible or invisible. Controlled by the data, every flicker of a leaf marks the loss of 128 square meters of rainforest. The artwork is adapted to the current data provided by various deforestation watch groups.

This piece has been produced in a circular and low-emission manner by Woven Studio.

[1] Amazon Deforestation Accelerates as Coronavirus Pandemic Hinders Enforcement.

[2] The deforestation rate in 2017/2018 was 1500m2 a second, with an increase of 71% in 2020 the total of deforestation comes to 2565 m2 a second, a staggering 17 football fields a minute.

Commissioned by
Dresden Bienalle 2021