4: Andeorama
Andeorama: My finished scanned drawing, unlabeled and uncolored.
Andeorama
(made-up noun)
shorthand for “Andes Panorama,” an unbroken depiction of the Andes mountain range and a window into the question: What effect are melting glaciers having in South America?
This is a project I have been working on for the past couple of months. It has taken a lot of deliberation and exactitude to stay true to the data that inspired the visual. At the same time, I have let myself loose with certain lines of personal experience. I don’t know if this illustration can accurately be called art, or science. This process has made me think more deeply about if it is possible for work to fall into both camps.
The data:
Last year, Two Decades of Glacier Loss along the Andes, a study led by Inés Dussaillant, was published in Nature Geoscience. This research investigates the glacier mass changes in the Andes during the period 2000-2018. Later I will go into more detail depicting the regional changes, the sub periods of the study, and the downstream impacts of the glacier mass changes.
The idea:
After reading the Dussaillant paper, I thought one way to represent the extent and variety of effects that climate change has upon glacial systems in the Andes would be a lengthy illustration of the Cordillera, in the style of Alexander von Humboldt's 1807 illustration of Chimborazo and Cotopaxi. On one end would be the profile of Chimborazo, then the ridgeline would take on the shape of the Dry Andes and then the Patagonian Andes. Under this ridgeline, little titles and illustrations would depict the regional changes that Dussaillant et al identify. This illustration would combine an ode to the scientist/humanist Humboldt, who believed in the integration of art and science, with the scope of the change happening in the Andes under modern climate change.
Humboldt’s Tableau Physique (1807), a painting that captures the expansive and groundbreaking manner in which Humboldt approached studying the volcanoes of Ecuador.
In 1802, Alexander von Humboldt made the trek to Chimborazo with the help of indigenous Ecuadorian guides. Chimborazo was then believed to be the world’s tallest peak. Although a deep chasm did not allow the group to reach the summit, this expedition is notable for several reasons: it was the highest human climb in recorded history for 30 years, it depended on collaboration with the local indigenous people, it informed thinking about climate zones, and it resulted in a remarkable output of art-fused science that engaged the public. Humboldt’s Essay on The Geography of Plants includes the illustration Tableau Physique. A dramatic painting of Chimborazo and Cotopaxi is framed by detailed text. The columns contain the expeditions scientific observations of everything from barometric pressure to the presence of howler monkeys. To me, this variety of measurements is stunning in how it incorporates the full spectrum of the sciences.
Numerous drafts of Andeorama are in the works. I will create various versions in English and Spanish that highlight glacier characteristics, and the regional changes. I’ll also explain how I chose to depict some of the ecological and social impacts. Here is a sample:
Further Reading and Resources:
Fundación Glaciares Chilenos: A Chilean organization promoting the education and protection of glaciers in Chile, with some great online resources.
YaleEnvironment360 reports on: Andes Meltdown: New Insights Into Rapidly Retreating Glaciers
Glaciares de los Andes Centrales registran dramático retroceso durante la última década y perderán su capacidad de abastecer los ríos from País Circular. This article breaks down the implications in the Central Andes from the Dussaillant paper in common language (if you read Spanish!)
A striking and emotional telling of this story is told in Glacier Shallap – Or the Sad Tale of a Dying Glacier from Trans.MISSION and Erika Stockholm