WHY DEEP STORAGE PROJECT?

My idea with Deep Storage Project was to create an art project investigating the concept of eternity. One of my first questions to myself in the initial phases was, how and why do we humans store our cultural identity in the hope of passing ourselves on to further times?

 

Think about the cavepaintings, the pyramids, and all the other great voices from the past, why was it so important for them to save and secure their cultural indetity? Was it mere vanity or maybe a survival instinct related to evolutionary psychology? Will we have problems with saving the human race as such? Who will be here in 30.000 years to read our signals and we enjoy the signals from former times?

 

Of course there are endless questions and answers as to how we relate to eternity. Out of all these discussions with my self and fellow artists I decided to create a world wide art project where people would be invited to invest a tiny bit of them selves into a sculpture to be placed in the deepest location know on the planet. Each participant are invited to invest a bloddrop and hairsample as well as bring DNA from plants and animals.

 

Inspired by computer industry research about long term saving digital information I called the art work 'Deep Storage Project'.

 

I believe a great art work is about raising interesting questions and thereafter let the public enjoy what ever thought pattern it may appear in their minds. I wanted to challenge the perception of not only what eternity means to us, but how its boundaries control and define us spiritually and philosophically. Fundamentally, it’s also refering to an investigation of the Deep as such, both as a fascinating geographical and philosophic phenomena, with the sculpts resting place being chosen as the sea.

Ten identical sculptures will be placed at selected locations around the globe. These sculptures I call The Deep Storage Sister Sculptures and they are similar to the actual main Deep Storage sculpture that contains all the collected DNA material, and is going into the Marianas Trench.

Let’s just think about it for a moment. Imagine you’re walking somewhere, anywhere on the planet, and suddenly you see one of the sister sculpts. It’s a reminder, something to ensure that nobody forgets what’s resting in the darkest, coldest environment known to man, surviving under the incredible pressure of eleven tones to every square centimeter of its structure.

 

You might think about the fact that all the DNA samples, be they human or otherwise, are not chosen from any political, racial, economic or religious criteria, merely from the fact that all of the participants were interested in becoming a part of this art project. In a way, when they see one of the sculpts, they’re seeing a part of themselves.
 
If you walk into a gallery, you look at the exhibition and take in whatever meaning it has for you. How long is it before it’s yesterday’s thoughts and nothing more than a half-remembered moment. This is different. By taking and storing the DNA samples, our volunteers are entering into a contract with the art piece itself, and they become part of the expression and meaning that others interpret.
 

It might occur to you that humanity might not make it in the future because of pollution or war, but if the DNA samples should be found by science, and all the participants were recreated, maybe the genes of art lovers wouldn't be the worst building material for a new human race. If people see, they will always want to interpret what it means, and what better way is there to express their thoughts so it has meaning for others as well.