THE CRYOPHILE PROJECT
The Cryophile Project asks the question, what will the world be like without ice? What will the stories from this time be like?
Through this world exploration I have amassed a library of images, 3D LiDAR scans, knowledge, and stories. The stories can be found by clicking here.
Cryotherapy
(or Glacier Restoration Devices)
How will we experience ice in the future?
Glacial Artifacts from the Future
How will we remember glaciers once they are gone? Collected below are some devices that imagine that future precisely. In the museums of the future, all we may have is a 3D scan to remember the icy giants from the before times. These devices contain multiple methods of refrigeration to bring the aluminum cast of various glaciers to freezing. Water from the air condensates on their frigid surface and frost over. On a timescale of ~30 minutes, these glaciers freeze and thaw, dripping their valuable water into a collection tray.
Arctic Fragments from the Future
Collected from various maleficent and benevolent people from the future.
Titles from left to right:
Iceberg Fragment: Sold by Hans Vogel during the bankruptcy of former coal conglomerate VogelCorp.
Ice Fragment: Seized from the private collection of Joseph Morgan, the ousted CEO of Exxon global corp.
Glacier Fragment: Donated from the private collection of Tanya Wright, founder of the second largest clean energy lobbying firm.
Saxifraga oppositifolia Growth Environment
Saxifrage opppositifolia is a low-growing plant found in arctic and alpine regions. It does not adapt well to change and consequently will be at risk of extinction if global temperatures rise. This specimen was collected from Juneau, Alaska, in August 2022 and is growing in a vessel that regulates the soil temperature to a few degrees above zero Celsius. Habitats like this may be necessary in the future if carbon emissions are not reduced.
Rusavskia elegans and Rhizocarpon geographicum Growth Environment
Rhizocarpon geographicum (map lichen) and Rusavskia elegans (elegant sunburst lichen) often grow in the most extreme and remote environments. Their distinctive hues and growth patterns make them particularly identifiable in their harsh habitats. Both lichens have been found to grow in the high alpine and arctic regions around the world. They also have the unique title of being able to survive in outer space, as a 2008 experiment, Expose-E, performed at the International Space Station (ISS) proved. Despite being able to survive in outer space, they do not respond well to pollution. The sunburst used to grow along the shores of Lake Erie, but it has not been spotted there reliably since the 1960s. These specimens were collected in the Rocky Mountains of Colorado and are growing in a vessel that regulates the soil temperature to a few degrees above zero Celsius.