Ecopoisis & The Goldilox Archive (2019)
Ecopoiesis and the Goldilox Archive is a series of large format digital prints focused on the themes of habitability and home. This project examines humanity’s anxiety ridden relationships with the environments of Earth and Mars. Cooper Giegerich’s creation of the Goldilox Archive is influenced by the science fiction genre, prompted by rapid climate change on Earth together with our increased interest in colonizing Mars. The Goldilox Archive is a reference to the goldilocks zone, a term used in astronomy and astrobiology which identifies the habitable zone around a star.
Cooper Giegerich compiled the Goldilox Archive after uncovering images composed by the fictional artificial intelligent program called Ecopoiesis. The work utilizes appropriated scientific-based imagery mined from the archives of NASA. Ecopoiesis’ compositions include images of aerial terrain enveloped in velvety darkness accompanied by a cryptic typeface. Through digital manipulation and erasure, Ecopoiesis has arranged the appropriated aerial images of Earth and Mars into improbable landscapes. These composite images produce fictitious chaotic spaces that reveal the similarities and differences in the environments we inhabit on Earth and the environments we wish to inhabit on Mars. Ecopoiesis and the Goldilox Archive is a loose cautionary narrative contemplating humanity’s fixation on our ability to maintain control over hospitable and inhospitable spaces.
