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Stoked for one of my MFA projects from the School of Visual Arts back in my Fulbright days (i.e. my youth) to grow and have a home at C40’s global art campaign! Thank you!

P.S. My favorites are the jabberwocky, the seahorses, and the pegasus. What’s yours?

Text from C40 Cities:

C40 has teamed up with a collective of incredible artists who have unique visions of the world they want to live in. Their art challenges us to imagine a future where people and biodiversity thrive, and cities are more resilient and equitable.

The next artist in this series is Catherine Sarah Young, an award-winning artist, designer, and writer. Catherine uses her background in molecular biology, fine art, and design to create interdisciplinary and experimental artworks on the environment.

In her piece “Rorsketch”, Catherine reimagines our cities as places where air pollution is a thing of the past, where residents can enjoy clear blue skies and breathe clean air.

Catherine said: “Let’s make cities that unlock the imagination of its citizens for hopeful, inclusive futures. With this piece, I turn the sky into a canvas for possibilities. We often see patterns in clouds in a phenomenon that neuroscientists call pareidolia. The title of this piece is called Rorsketch—a portmanteau of “Rorschach” and “sketch”. When we feel down, let’s look up and see the universe that clouds offer. It’s fun, free, and for everyone! What do you see in these clouds?”

About the artist: Catherine has collaborated with researchers, industries, and non-profit organisations most recently in China, Austria, and the Amazon rainforest. She is a Scientia scholar at UNSW Sydney working on climate change and sustainability, an Obama Leader for Asia-Pacific, and part of Team HB6 of Homeward Bound for Antarctica. Most recently she is a recipient of the Thirteen Artist Awards in the Philippines.

(Paris and digital) I’m happy to contribute a heart to C40 Cities for their digital campaign, A Letter to Nature. C40 is a network of the world’s megacities committed to addressing climate change.

The Weighing of the Heart is a sculptural series where I cast human heart sculptures out of the ashes of The Australian bushfires. I’ve been doing this since 2020 after the 2019-2020 Black Summer.

C40 support cities to collaborate effectively, share knowledge, and drive meaningful, measurable, and sustainable action on climate change.

From C40:

C40 has teamed up with a collective of incredible artists who have unique visions of the world they want to live in. Their art challenges us to imagine a future where people and biodiversity thrive, and cities are more resilient and equitable.

C40 has teamed up with a collective of incredible artists who have unique visions of the world they want to live in. Their art challenges us to imagine a future where people and biodiversity thrive, and cities are more resilient and equitable.

The third artist in this series is Catherine Sarah Young. Catherine’s piece ‘The Weighing of the Heart’ casts ashes from the devastating Australian wildfires of 2020 into a heart-shaped sculpture. This video features the sculpture on a background of illustrations by Catherine, that represent hope and recovery.

Catherine said: “The casting of the ashes allowed for the creation of permanent sculptures and removes them from the processes in their landscapes, resulting in art that registers the effects of climate change.

“In this image, the sculptures are made from matter in a real-world catastrophe, but the illustrations arise from my imagination and stems from hope that we can rise above this and repair our relationship with the planet.” 

About the artist: Catherine Sarah Young uses her background in molecular biology and collaborations with scientists to produce innovative, interdisciplinary and experimental artworks that explore our natural world and environment.