Zoe Hatziyannaki: The Day the Earth Caught Data

The current research project reflects on the complications of tourism and its contribution to climate change, considering not only its physical notorious footprint, but also its digital one. “The Day the Earth Caught Data” refers to the post-apocalyptic movie “The Day the Earth Caught Fire” (dir. Val Guest, 1961) and develops around a fictional, end-of the-world scenario, using primarily online material shared by different users through Google Earth.

Constant surveillance practices on the Earth’s surface, the frequent use of mapping apps, as well as the incessant online sharing of self-referential content, all complement tourism’s already significant part in global warming. The research is focused on Santorini Island, one of the most popular destinations in the world, which has ended up facing serious environmental and sustainability problems. Its volcano, a separate piece of land surrounded by sea, receives a considerable portion of the island’s visitors on day tours. The project uses the satellite images generated by Google Earth, along with screenshots of photos shared by the visitors in Photosphere, in order to construct a dystopian narrative. The volcanic landscape resembles that of another planet, or that of a doomsday movie, where lost, exhausted, and disoriented individuals walk around the barren, uninviting environment.

“The Day the Earth Caught Data” unfolds in different “episodes” which attempt to draw parallels between a widely shared, seemingly uncomplicated reality and a problematizing fiction, by positioning the image-makers themselves as storytellers of their own grim and unsettling future. The current episode (E2) will seek to develop into a partly interactive installation including audience participation.

Zoe Hatziyiannaki

Creator's Note

The experience of this residency was valuable in many ways, but mostly in terms of networking and feedback. I am aware that this might sound too formal and boring, however for me this experience turned out to be both interesting and somehow soothing.

For the last 15 years, my life has been divided between being a parent, an artist, and an educator, trying to balance family and work plus huge financial issues. That is to say, I did not have the chance to experience a proper residency abroad, neither have I had the time to work on my practice peacefully and creatively. The project I applied for at Onassis AiR is an interactive installation I have been thinking and working on in different forms for more than three years. What I needed was what I thought the residency’s context had to offer.

During the course of the residency, I got to connect with the rest of the residents, and I must say that I was quite lucky to be in this particular group. The frequent feedback sessions gave me a lot of time to rethink of how the others see my work and also to learn and consider how I would respond to theirs. On the Open Day, I got a lot of help from the technicians in installing a demanding work. The audience was expected to interact with the installation by actually taking photographs of themselves in front of a huge vinyl print backdrop, while this activity would be projected real-time on a side wall. Everything worked perfectly for all three hours, both technically and in terms of audience response. The successful outcome meant a lot to me, as this work is in progress and the material gathered will be used for future research.

This might be boring as a response, or I guess quite expected, but I was surprised to see how encouraging and welcoming it can feel when it actually happens. Simply put, I met and got to know better some great artists, I felt part of a community that had the same issues and worries with me, which I was able to discuss openly and creatively in a very well organized space and with people that could meet my needs.