Memorial to the Industrial Revolution

The Industrial Revolution was responsible for enormous technological progress, and yet at the same time it has ended in a global ecological crisis. The memorial commemorates the incredible achievements of the late-modern era, but also declares the death of its environmentally destructive linear modes of production and consumption. As a monument to mark this decisive contemporary moment, the installation demonstrates the same ‘Form Follows Life Cycle’ approach used in Cork House, UK—it is made with expanded cork blocks, a pure plant-based material that originates in and supports a biodiverse landscape; it is assembled without mortar or glue so that it can be disassembled at the end of the Biennale, when the blocks can be reconfigured to create another building; ultimately the cork can be returned directly to the earth to decompose and generate new growth in the biosphere.