Reading Mosse’s “Living Maps” of the Amazon
Mosse’s living maps are visually breathtaking, but also evoke an unmistakable sadness when you realize exactly what you’re looking at. Nonetheless, they’re not exactly easy to read at first because the colors can’t be taken literally. Speaking to Fast Company, the artist said the colors in the images have a different meaning depending on which one you’re looking at. They are an aesthetic tool to “disarm the viewer” and push them to consider the destruction in a different way.
In Burnt Pantanal I and Burnt Pantanal II, for instance, the colors violet and red represent the forest’s foliage, while greens, blues, and browns represent decay. Black represents the death of plant life. Taken all together, you can’t help but look at Burnt Pantanal I and think that you’re looking at the last remaining vestiges of life. The colors green, blue, brown, and black overwhelm the image.
