Creative Time Presents Kamala Sankaram's THE LAST STAND Public Sound Installation and Experimental Opera for Trees

Creative Time presents artist Kamala Sankaram's first public artwork, The Last Stand, on view September 18-October 10, 2021, in Prospect Park in Brooklyn, NY.

The public sound installation and experimental opera for and about trees invites audiences to consider the complex and expansive life cycle of our surrounding species and reestablish our relationship and responsibility to it. Sankaram's project was chosen from over 400 applications to Creative Time's 2021 Emerging Artist Open Call, which offers the opportunity for an artist to create their first major public artwork.

"In the wake of this year's catastrophic heat, storms, and floods, the immediacy of the climate emergency has only become clearer. We can no longer hold ourselves separate from the world around us. Rather, to stave off the most devastating effects of climate change, we must recognize the interconnectedness of humankind with our delicate world and all the living beings that inhabit it. It is my hope that by allowing ourselves to try and step inside the perspective of a tree, to experience its different intelligence and sense of time, we can rekindle this sense of connection," said Kamala Sankaram. "Making a public artwork is very different than building a piece for a theater. Creative Time has been so important in bringing this work to life, managing levels of detail ranging from the minutia of permitting in a public space to facilitating conversations with researchers around the world. Their expertise has made this process very smooth as I venture into my first public work of art."

Located in the heart of Prospect Park, The Last Stand chronicles the lifespan of a 300 year old Northern Red Oak-the "Mother Tree"-from the years 1750-2050. The rich soundscape tells the story of the Mother Tree in Black Rock Forest, a nearly 4,000-acre diverse ecosystem in upstate New York with tree species tracing back 14,000 years. Sankaram personally created field recordings of the environment to develop sounds for the installation, which will be experienced through rhythms, looped sounds, and the physical vibrations they generate.

Over the course of 10 hours, the opera spans the Mother Tree's life from acorn to its "last stand," the final burst of life-giving energy a tree gives to its vast forest life network before it dies. Trees and visitors will experience sounds native to the natural environment, including animal and tree canopy noises, as well as sounds that mimic moments of life-altering tragedy, including invasions from non-native insects to human-induced threats such as excess rain, logging, and fire. Finally, the narrative carries the audience into the future with sounds that hint at the catastrophic effects of climate change, calling attention to the symbiotic and sometimes negative relationships within ecosystems.

"At Creative Time we produce public art that addresses the most pressing issues of our time and allows for a vision of a better tomorrow. Kamala Sankaram's The Last Stand grew from the realities of the climate crisis. Drawing from the work of groundbreaking thinkers from diverse fields, Sankaram centers the knowledge that can be gleaned from different species as we contend with an issue that affects our very survival," said Creative Time Executive Director Justine Ludwig.

Central to the installation is the act of translation: Sankaram translates scientific literature, tree communication, and historic environmental sounds into subsonic vibrations for multiple registers of tree and human sensation. The narrative is accessed by the trees themselves through the ground as well by humans, including Deaf and hard of hearing visitors, through vibrational benches. The Last Stand is inspired by Dr. Suzanne Simard's groundbreaking discoveries that trees communicate and share resources with each other and a vast array of forest life through complex underground fungal networks.

"Kamala Sankaram breaks open the possibilities of opera in her first public artwork. Composed entirely of field recordings and archival sounds of the forest, this experimental soundscape takes the life of a tree as its starting point, de-prioritizing the human experience and reorienting us to the expanse and necessity of multispecies kinship," said Creative Time Associate Curator Diya Vij.

Lead project support for The Last Stand is generously provided by Costa Brazil, a sustainable beauty line created by Francisco Costa and built on the belief that the spirit of beauty is inseparable from the health of the earth. The sponsorship underscores Creative Time and Costa Brazil's mutual commitment to protecting the environment and combating the climate crisis.

"I am thrilled to be joining artist Kamala Sankaram and Creative Time's Justine Ludwig to bring this unique soundscape experience to the public. Using art as a vehicle for awareness is at the center of our belief system at Costa Brazil. Creating an emotional connection with the subject matter is the best means of incentivizing action. I personally look forward to spending time in the park and enjoying the opera, something I think few of us have experienced before," said Francisco Costa, Founder of Costa Brazil, Chief Creative Officer of Amyris.

Site support and collaboration provided by New York City Parks Department's Art in Parks and Prospect Park Alliance. Prospect Park is home to Brooklyn's last remaining forest with more than 30,000 trees and many species of native flora that are an integral habitat to the hundreds of species of birds and wildlife.

"Since our founding in 1987, Prospect Park Alliance has played a critical role in revitalizing the park's 250 acres of core woodlands," said Susan Donoghue, President of Prospect Park Alliance and Park Administrator. "The park's woodlands and 30,000 trees are the 'lungs' of Brooklyn and are vital to our community's health and well-being. We are so pleased to be hosting The Last Stand, and drawing attention to the importance of trees to our environment and future."