Biography

micha cárdenas is an artist, author, game designer, and Associate Professor of Critical Race and Ethnic Studies, as well as Performance, Play and Design at the University of California, Santa Cruz. There, she leads the Critical Realities Studio. Her solo and collaborative works have been featured in museums, galleries, and biennales around the world, including the Thessaloniki Biennale in Greece, the Arnolfini Gallery in London, the Museum of Modern Art in New York, Contemporary Exhibitions in Los Angeles, the Centro Cultural del Bosque in Mexico, the Centro Cultural de Tijuana, and the California Biennial. micha cárdenas is a member of the Electronic Disturbance Theater 2.0 artistic collective. She is a first-generation Colombian American.

The Probability Engine : Permafrost and the Last Piece of Antarctic Ice (2024)

The Probability Engine: Permafrost and the Last Piece of Antarctic Ice (2024) draws inspiration from studies predicting that a 1.5°C increase in global warming could trigger several global tipping points. This series of artworks envisions a machine allowing audiences to explore potential futures of climate disasters and justice. Three sculptures, 3D printed from recycled materials, form the core of this work. Additionally, an augmented reality app depicts the effects of permafrost loss and explores potential solutions. Among the envisioned futures is the melting of boreal permafrost, covering much of Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and parts of northern Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec. Scientists fear abrupt permafrost thawing, releasing huge amounts of currently frozen methane into the atmosphere. The project highlights tipping points and their consequences, such as Antarctic ice melting leading to sea-level rise. Collaborating with scientific publications, micha cárdenas and her team have created an immersive installation, making the realities of frozen landscapes and our interdependence tangible, particularly for those of us living in southern regions. The poems in the app make connections between genocide in Gaza, climate change and decolonization.

This work was produced in collaboration with:
Star Hagen-Esquerra, Marcelo Diaz Viana Neto, Ian Costello, Ryan Li Dahlstrom, Tamara Duplantis and Madison McCartha