Surrounded by sea, haunted by dust
Cooper, D. (2025). Surrounded by sea, haunted by dust, in: Jacobs, D. (Ed.) Architecture as environmental media: Rendering the planetary. pp. 1-33
|
| Abstract |
Particles of dust are lifted and carried through the atmosphere, linking seemingly disconnected territories. Traveling on sirocco winds, Saharan dust tints the Mediterranean sky red and leaves a pinkish residue when it rains, known as “Blood Rain.” In the present age of the anthropogenic climate crisis, dust storms occur with higher frequency and greater intensity, transporting this “fugitive” matter over longer distances and at higher speeds. Fugitive dust is defined as particulate matter that is “lifted into the air by turbulent air currents such as wind erosion, or mechanical forces” by the United States Environmental Protection Agency. The use of the term “fugitive” as a technical descriptor implies that the movement of this matter is an inherently negative process, rather than an endemic one. The global movement of dust is, in fact, a reminder that global environments are all interconnected through environmental flows. As wind systems bring Saharan particles to Europe, sub-Saharan African migrants board boats bound for Italy. For many, Europe is an opportunity to escape violence, economic uncertainty, and food insecurity, all of which are intensified by the climate crisis. Italian policy, as with those from most other European countries, however, primarily works to demonize these immigrant flows and label the people as fugitives and criminals. Mapping these global flows of people and dust from the Sahara Desert to the European continent makes the interconnectedness of climate, matter, and culture more explicit. This chapter examines how drawing can serve as a tool to expand our understanding of the ways in which issues of environmental and social justice are intrinsically linked, both materially and discursively. |
|
