Gallery Exhibit on 1990s Social, Environmental Experiment ‘Biosphere 2’ Opens at the UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute
Ecologist and author Mark Nelson visits the UC San Diego Qualcomm Institute (QI) to discuss a new Gallery QI exhibit, “Biosphere Dreaming,” on its opening night, Thursday, April 27 at 5 p.m. in Atkinson Hall on the UC San Diego campus.
One of eight people who lived inside “Biosphere 2,” a 3.14-acre closed-ecosystem complex outside Oracle, Arizona, from 1991 to 1993, Nelson shares excerpts from his dream diary and logbook, as well as photographs documenting life as a “biospherian.” “Biosphere Dreaming” marks the first public presentation of Nelson’s diaries and offers a unique perspective on one of the most prominent ecological experiments of the 20th century.
The material will be accompanied by an exclusive musical score by singer-songwriter and avant-guitarist Michael Garfield.
“Biosphere 2 is an extraordinary laboratory for gaining insights into how our planetary biosphere, ‘Biosphere 1,’ functions,” said Nelson. “It was also an unprecedented experiment in learning how people can change their technologies and perspectives in order to cooperate with biospheric life. Living in Biosphere 2 was a deeply transformative experience and I’m excited to share with visitors to the exhibition.”
Built between 1987 and 1991 by the Institute of Ecotechnics, Biosphere 2 served as an experiment in engaging with ecosystems through science and technology for better environmental stewardship and sustainable living. The structure hosted seven different biomes, including a rainforest, an ocean with a coral reef, mangrove wetlands, a savannah, a fog desert, an agricultural area and a human habitat.
More than 30 years after Biosphere 2’s conclusion, “Biosphere Dreaming” explores the act of inhabiting an ecosystem as an intimately physical and imaginary experience that encourages critical and inventive rethinking of how we connect to nature. Within the context of the contemporary climate crisis, “Biosphere Dreaming” engages with new ways of inhabiting Earth (“Biosphere 1”) to offer more hopeful futures for life inside it.
Event Details
Date – Thursday, April 27, 2023
Time – 5 – 8 p.m.
Location – Atkinson Hall, UC San Diego (parking available in the Hopkins Parking Structure)
Hosts – Ricardo Dominguez, Amy Alexander
Curator – Jacob Lillemose
Agenda
5 p.m. – Calit2 Auditorium Presentation, Panel Discussion and Q&A with Jacob Lillemose, Mark Nelson, Michael Garfield, Amy Alexander and Ricardo Dominguez
6 p.m. – Reception and gallery open
“Biosphere Dreaming” will be on display in the Gallery QI Monday to Friday, noon to 5 p.m. from Thursday, April, 27 through Friday, June 9. All Gallery QI events are free and open to the public.
Gallery QI is an initiative of UC San Diego’s Qualcomm Institute, which harnesses technology to jumpstart innovation in areas including culture, energy, the environment and health. The gallery is located on the first floor of Atkinson Hall, on the UC San Diego campus at the corner of Voigt Drive and Equality Lane.
RSVPs requested to galleryqi@ucsd.edu by noon, Thursday, April 27.