Tracking (Antarctica), 2011
Tracking (Antarctica) is a data-driven environmental artwork by Australian artist Debbie Symons exploring species migration, population change, and biodiversity loss across Antarctic ecosystems.
Tracking (Antarctica) is a contemporary environmental artwork that maps the migratory routes, population data, and Red List status of sixty bird and marine mammal species that rely on the Southern Ocean surrounding Antarctica.
Developed in collaboration with the Australian Antarctic Division, the Scientific Committee on Antarctic Research, and the International Union for Conservation of Nature, the work draws on scientific datasets to visualise patterns of species movement and survival.
By bringing together migratory pathways and conservation data, the work offers a comprehensive representation of ecological change, highlighting both the mobility of these species and the pressures reflected in their increasing or declining populations.
Installation image of Tracking (Antarctica) and Tomorrow Land at Craft Victoria.
By combining geographic tracking with conservation data, Tracking (Antarctica) reveals patterns of migration alongside shifts in population status, highlighting species that are increasing, stable, or in decline.
The work foregrounds the interconnected nature of Antarctic ecosystems, where environmental changes—including climate change and ocean warming—have far-reaching impacts across species and regions. Through this visualisation, it invites reflection on the fragility of polar environments and the complexity of the systems that sustain them.
View a shorten version of Tracking (Antarctica).
Exhibition history for Tracking (Antarctica), 2011
Making Sense, Craft Victoria, 31 Flinders Lane, Melbourne VIC 3000. Dates September 8 to October 15, 2011.
Tracking, Urban Screen Federation Square, corner of Swanston and Flinders Street, Melbourne, 3000 Dates September 8 to October 15, 2011.