Kirsten Palz Sculpture as Writing
Screening IMPACT (2023-2025) by Kirsten Palz
IMPACT (2023–2025)
The video IMPACT is a comprehensive visual narrative about the global use of 785 pesticides in nature and agriculture. Drawing upon data provided by state government institutions that monitor pesticide usage worldwide, the work is grounded in meticulously sourced information.
Through its exploration, IMPACT classifies pesticides into subcategories such as herbicides, insecticides, fungicides, rodenticides, acaricides, molluscicides, and more. These substances, integral to modern agricultural practices, are depicted for their pervasive influence on ecosystems.
The landscape images and scenes featured in IMPACT are synthetically created using AI production tools and combined with recorded footage. These landscapes merge surreal ‘larger-than-life’ environments with reflections of the fragile state of natural ecosystems affected by pesticide use. The juxtaposition of chemical data and landscape imagery invites viewers to contemplate the complex relationship between human activity and the natural world.
As an ongoing project, IMPACT deals with the dependency on pesticides and their consequences for biodiversity, soil health, water systems, and human well-being.
IMPACT (2023–2025) is part of the archive ‘Chronicle of Extinction’ on humankind’s interaction with the environment, blending research and activism.
Team of Production:
Research and concept: Kirsten Palz
Video editor and production: Fabian Mrongowius
Data-driven graphics: Thomas Bohne and Ludwig Küster
Stills: Kirsten Palz
Sound: Kirsten Palz with samples by Honoka Uchiito
Sources: United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI), National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST), National Institutes of Health (NIH), and information from private chemical manufacturing companies.
Special thanks to Norbert Palz
Archive Sculpture as Writing
© 2025 Kirsten Palz
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