Janet Biggs

“In the process of making my work, I have witnessed the devastating effects of climate change, from the melting Arctic to expanding deserts. Through all the events and changes that I’ve witnessed and filmed, I’ve always been able to feel the wind blow across my face and the rain as it landed on my skin … until I went to Mars. This is what it feels like to live inside a spacesuit. It is heavy, both the physical weight of wearing a life sustaining garment and the psychological weight of knowing that you must. Simple tasks like bending over and picking up a stone become Herculean. I learned to hum. It regulates your breathing. If you breathe too hard or fast your helmet fogs and you can’t see. If you breathe too hard or fast, you use up all your oxygen. Once your helmet is locked into place, any moisture inside; sweat, a runny nose, tears, can blind you. The earth will remake itself and survive the legacy of its human inhabitants, but will we?”

Excerpted from "Fragility Curve" by Janet Biggs, Brooklyn Rail,  June 2019