Iara

Iara

Iara is an audio visual work that looks to understand the life cycle and stories of the Macacarecuia tree (Eschweilera tenuifolia), a tree species of the igapó forests (seasonally-flooded forests on the margins of blackwater rivers flooded forests) and one of the oldest trees in the Amazon, approximately 1200 years old.

The Macacarecuia tree is an extremely slow growing species and lives up to 10 months of the year submerged in water as the annual freshwater flooding fills and drains the plains where it grows. It is an endemic species of the Amazon water basin and it is highly abundant along the Rio Negro.

Mediums

Lidar

Environmental data

Game engine

Audio

Animation

Partners and exhibtions

Lab Verde

INPA

British Council

Serapilheira

Faro

Oi Futuro

Oasis Timisora

Lidar scan of Macacarecuia tree from Iara reflecting on water

Lidar scan of Macacarecuia tree from Iara reflecting on water

Lidar scan of Macacarecuia tree from Iara

Lidar scan of Macacarecuia tree from Iara

Iara looks to understand the life cycle and stories of the Macacarecuia tree (Eschweilera tenuifolia), a tree species of the igapó forests (seasonally-flooded forests on the margins of blackwater rivers flooded forests) and one of the oldest trees in the Amazon, approximately 1200 years old. The Macacarecuia tree is an extremely slow growing species and lives up to 10 months of the year submerged in water as the annual freshwater flooding fills and drains the plains where it grows. It is an endemic species of the Amazon water basin and it is highly abundant along the Black River.
Together with scientists Jochen Schongart and Ricardo Perdiz we explore what more needs to be understood about this tree, how it pollinates to survive over centuries, how the hydrocycle is being affected by climate change and how hydro dams are altering the natural flood pulse of these landscapes. The animation is created using 118 years of recorded flood pulse data provided by the platform HidroWeb operated by the Brazilian Agency of Waters. This data shows an intensification of the hydrological cycle leading to an increase of maximum water levels and the amplitude of the water regime (maximum and minimum water levels). 
The sound is composed from audio recordings made in 2019 in the Amazon, using microphones to hear the internal water movements of the tree as well as compositional elements improvised by the data. The text is a collaboration between Invisible Flock and LABVERDE, an attempt to communicate and reflect more deeply on our relationship and our impacts on these habitats and these ancient trees. 
LABVERDE are the curators of an extraordinary Art Immersion Program in the Amazon which functions as a multidisciplinary platform for the development of nature and ecology critical thinking. 
Esta nova obra de arte, chamada Iara, em homenagem a mãe das águas da Amazônia,  busca entender o ciclo de vida e as histórias da árvore Macacaricuia, uma árvore de inundação da várzea (florestas inundadas pelo rio) e uma das árvores mais antigas da Amazônia, com aproximadamente 1000 anos. A árvore Macacaricuia tem um crescimento extremamente lento e vive até 10 meses do ano submersa na água enquanto a enchente anual de água doce enche e drena as planícies onde ela cresce.
Junto com os cientistas Jochen Schongart e Ricardo Perdiz, estamos explorando o que mais poderíamos entender e descobrir sobre esta árvore, como ela é polinizada para sobreviver ao longo dos séculos, como seu ciclo está sendo afetado pelas mudanças climáticas e como as hidrelétricas estão alterando o pulso de inundação natural de seu habitat. Através de uma arte engajada e com o uso de novas tecnologias, comunicaremos nossas descobertas.
Estamos entusiasmados em colaborar com o LABVERDE no âmbito do Programa Pontes Oi Futuro, apoiado pelo British Council.
LABVERDE são os curadores de um extraordinário Programa de Imersão em Arte na Amazônia que funciona como uma plataforma multidisciplinar para o desenvolvimento do pensamento crítico sobre natureza e ecologia.