German Weather Service
Hesse Province Forestry Department
KLARAnet - Technical University, Darmstadt
BOARROOM Film, 2010 created in
collaboration with Peter Fischer for
The International Forest Art: Systems & Cycles
Waldkunst.com
Darmstadt, Germany
The Phenologic Forest
The Phenologic Forest project calls upon the citizenry of Darmstadt to participate in phenology, the crucial effort to observe and record the natural phenomena of the forest, to better understand the local impacts of climate change.
Gridpoints of the triangulated spatial grid system, GME used by the Deutscher Wetterdienst (DWD) to record weather events worldwide, are located in the forest with fluorescent makers. This grid system provides a real space visualization of the invisible “weather” and also provides observation sites for Citizen-Scientists who can participate in volunteer observation using the website www.phaenologischerwald.com. At this website, participants can print a paper map of the GME gridpoints, download the gridpoint coordinates to a GPS device, and upload data and images to an archive for storage.
Understanding the role of the Citizen-Scientist in this global effort to monitor and understand climate change and the necessary cultural and biologic responses and adaptations that will be required, situates The Phenologic Forest as a key concept and action in making climate change tangible, uniting art + science + recreation and thus encouraging the long-view towards our collective future.
BOARROOM
Wild is here.
During the installation of The Phenologic Forrest, we learned that the Darmstadt Forest is home to 400 wild boar, Sus, sus scofa. They are rarely seen by visitors to the forest. The rhythm of the forest, quiet days and active nights, is captured daily for one month, revealing the invisible life of the forest. Boar are not naturally nocturnal but become so in the presence of humans, or when disturbed.
With the assistance of forester, Peter Fischer, an infrared "stealth cam" was placed near the "boar room", the secret hiding place of the Darmstadt forest boars. The camera captures film clips of the wild boars and other forest creatures as they emerge at dusk. The boars are rarely active during the day.
Boar are not naturally nocturnal but become so in the presence of humans, or when disturbed.
