For more than two decades, Saraceno has activated projects aimed towards rethinking the co-creation of the atmosphere with the goal of eliminating carbon emissions. The works in Entangled Air speak to Saraceno’s ongoing desire to communicate the extent to which humans, animals and plants relate to the air. Within this codependent ecosystem, humans unequally share the air and disproportionately harm the atmosphere: combustion generated pollutants from burning coal, oil and natural gas have far-reaching impacts on public health and climate change.

Rather than using the term Anthropocene to describe how humankind has become a geological force, Saraceno invokes the term Capitalocene, or the social and ecological result of the exploitation of resources and people in globalized capitalism, to describe the present era. As a hopeful, future-oriented alternative that invites humans to relate differently to energy and natural resources, Saraceno devised Aerocene. This interdisciplinary and experimental movement brings together diverse artists, activists, geographers, philosophers and doers to propose alternative ways of being and operating in the world. Within his studio practice, Saraceno reimagines the notion of entangled air, creating works that are made, shaped, maintained, and moved by the air to inspire a more conscientious coexistence with the atmosphere.

Entangled Air is organized with Dr. Somesh Roy, assistant professor in Mechanical Engineering at Marquette University. Dr. Roy’s research attempts to unravel the mysteries of black carbon, commonly known as soot. He operates within the field of combustion and aerosol science, studying the formation of soot at an atomic level in combustion systems, its dispersion at the atmospheric level, and the perception and mitigation of its impacts on a personal and social level. This exhibition is curated by Emilia Layden, Curator of Collections and Exhibitions, and organized in partnership with Lynne Shumow, Curator for Academic Engagement.