Sacramento Paradox with Greg Niemeyer
In this show, curated by Prof. Josh Bloom, Greg Niemeyer presents his most recent endeavor, "Sacramento Paradox". He states that globally, overcapitalized regions extract more than their fair share of resources from undercapitalized regions. Water, the most vital resource after air, is no exception. Most residents in these regions go to bed thirsty every night, only to face a new fight for water in the morning. Conversely, most residents in overcapitalized regions need only take minimal notice of where their seemingly inexhaustible water supply comes from (so far).
With the "Sacramento River Paradox" Niemeyer seeks to direct our attention to the awesome Sacramento River, which quenches the thirst of 1/3 of all California residents, grows their food, and washes their bodies.
In a set of three images, Niemeyer visualizes the river's flow and water level throughout the Winter 2023 season. Flow and level are the result of snowmelt, temperature, wind and rainfall, connecting the most remote regions of California with the most densely populated urban centers. The images show this data through novel data visualizations. The left image in the triptych shows an AI forecast, the right image shows actual measurements, and the middle image shows the difference between the two.
These nuanced representations of what we think will be and what actually is direct our attention to the life of the Sacramento River, the vital resource in our midst. He intends for the images to serve as a portal of respect and gratitude for what lifelines the Sacramento River throws us every day. Only solid respect for local resources can inform equal respect for similar resources in other regions around the world.
The paradox, Niemeyer says, is that "sometimes we give the least attention to the most important things.
The show also includes works by
Brett Amory
Carl Bass
Claudia Bloom
Luke Dzwonczyk
Elle O Hill
Ahna Girshick
Steve Lomprey
Greg O. Niemeyer
Joel Simon
and opens on Saturday April 20, from 4 pm to 8 pm, at 120710 Gallery at 1207 10th St. Berkeley, CA.