“Eye on the Future” Film Explores how Extreme Weather Impacts Florida’s Communities
FSU Department of Art professor and social practice artist Holly Hanessian along with other FSU alumni, including choreographer Leah Bailey, FSU Studio Art MFA alum ’19 and video artist Kiley Brandt, composer Matt Ramage, developed a short film that highlights our current climate crisis – global warming and their effect on hurricane formation. Over the past decade, hurricanes have increased in strength causing high winds, extreme flooding and catastrophic damage in communities across Florida. The impact of hurricanes is even more apparent in at-risk communities in their access to clean water and energy before, during, and after a storm.The” Eye on the Future” short film features the artists along with Tallahassee residents performing a dance utilizing Little Sun solar lamps. These sun-shaped rechargeable solar lamps were created by artist Olafur Eliasson and engineer Frederik Ottesen who started the non-profit Little Sun organization, and is now recognized internationally as an advocate for solar energy and sustainability.The sounds, dance, and video editing express the emotional toll and intensity that hurricanes have on North Florida communities. The Little Sun solar lamps in the video “signified the hope of a sustainable future achieved through unifying our local and global communities behind renewable resources and practices” the artists said.This film is part of a larger water sustainability and disaster resilience project by Holly Hanessian and FSU’s RIDER Center. Professor Hanessian has created a ‘Hurricane Go-Pack’ as an educational tool for local libraries to inform citizens about water sustainability, climate change, and how to prepare for a hurricane. The pack includes a waterproof backpack, tarp, and dry sacks for papers, an evacuation map printed on bandanas, a Sawyer water filter that cleans up to 100,000 gallons of water , and a Little Sun rechargeable solar lamp. Additionally, an ePublication and pdf were developed to help Florida residents prepare sustainably for hurricanes too.These materials can be found at www.hollyhanessian.comYou can view the film on Little Sun’s website, https://littlesun.org/blog/2022/11/17/florida-state-university/ and purchase your own Little Sun solar rechargeable lamp.