Landfall

2018

Landfall presents fifteen 12” picture discs depicting satellite photographs of retired hurricanes with audio recordings of eyewitnesses, storm chasers, forecasters, and the hurricanes themselves. The effect of the spinning records is to collapse the distance between the lofty, weightless gaze of the satellite and the tense, endangered predicament of eyewitnesses on the ground.

With the breadth of audio sources included in the records, the series acts as an archive of how hurricanes are represented in society; Including the adrenaline-rush experienced by storm chasers trying to get as close to the hurricane’s force as possible, to residents trapped at home recording the ensuing destruction, and news reporters broadcasting from a safe distance.

Each year, the World Meteorological Organization sets the names of upcoming hurricanes in advance. For Atlantic hurricanes, a list of male and female names are used on a six-year rotation. When a storm is so deadly that the future use of its name on a different storm would be inappropriate, the name is retired, never to be used again.

The record number of North Atlantic hurricanes in recent years has been attributed to man-made climate change. Yet the hurricane represents a critical node in the relationship between Heaven and Earth, between man and God. The English word ‘hurricane’ comes from the Taino word ‘huricán’, the Carib Indian god of evil. Its devastating, uncontrollable force leaves us both mesmerized and terrorized.

Fifteen 12” vinyl picture disks, audio soundtracks, and storage case.
30 second clips shown below.

Dennis, 2005

Fabian, 2003

Felix, 2007

Frances, 2004

Gustav, 2008

Harvey, 2017

Igor, 2010

Ike, 2008

Irma, 2017

Jeanne, 2004

Katrina, 2005

Lili, 2002

Maria, 2017

Otto, 2016

Rita, 2005