After Galápagos

After Galápagos is an augmented reality illustrated book, and 3D art and interactive exhibition imagining what the evolution of animals and the environment will be in the future resulting from climate change. What are the dramatic changes we are doing to our climate, and how will it affect the evolutionary changes of the planet? This project is inspired by the ground breaking speculative evolution book, “After Man” by Dougal Dixon and the illustrations of John James Audubon’s “The Birds of America.” The project is a mixture of pop-culture, science, innovative technology, and dynamic storytelling to address climate change.

The modern speculative evolution movement is generally agreed to have begun with the publication of Dougal Dixon’s 1981 book “After Man,” which explored a fully realized future Earth with a complete ecosystem of over a hundred hypothetical animals. Like Dixon’s work, we are using real biological principles and are exploring real life processes, such as evolution and climate change, through the use of fictional results. By extrapolating past trends into the future, we can predict the most likely scenarios of how certain organisms and lineages could respond to ecological changes. After Galápagos will include video interviews with Dougal Dixon in the augmented reality elements.

Why Galápagos? The islands are a microcosm of the entire planet and a perfect location to show evolution at work. Charles Darwin based his research on what he collected during his historic trip to the islands. Many scientists believe that the planet will first experience the dramatic effects of climate change on islands. Rising sea levels, change in temperature, and receding coastlines will be seen on Galápagos and will have a ripple effect on its delicate ecosystem and wildlife. After Galápagos will focus on the islands, but will also illustrate the effects of climate change in other parts of the world.

CONNIE MICHELLE MOLINA (Melanconnie) is an interdisciplinary artist and scientist from Bogotá, Colombia. Has worked on multiple climate change art projects for Girl Rising and the Ministry of Science and Technology in Colombia. Connie has a double BA from Universidad de los Andes in biological sciences and art. As a biologist, Connie has worked with the Museum of Natural History C.J Marinkelle, the American Mu- seum of Natural History, Science magazine and The Ministry of Science and Technology of Colombia with whom Connie is creating the comic: “Infinitas”, featuring female scientists of Colombia. Has worked since 2020 in the feminist comic “Priya’s Shakti” as illustrator and creative direc- tor in various comics, including “Kaia: awakening in the deep” the story of the first woman superhero of Colombia, based on the life of Natalia Ponce de León – survivor of a brutal acid attack.

FAEBIAN CERULEO is a visual artist specialized in landscapes and using color keys and light keys to create immersive scenarios, textures and details to render finished pieces for printed and animated productions. He is the co-creator of “Kaia: awakening in the deep” which was funded by the National Endowment for the Arts, and promoted by the US Embassy in Bogota.

RAM DEVINENI (producer) is a filmmaker, publisher and founder of Rattapallax based in New York City and New Delhi. He produced, edited and directed the feature documentary, The Karma Killings, which was shot in India and released on Netflix. Recently, he produced The Russian Woodpecker, which won the Grand Jury Prize at the 2015 Sundance Film Festival and was nominated for an Independent Spirit Award. He is the creator of the augmented reality comic books, Priya’s Shakti, which received the Tribeca Film Institute New Media Fund from the Ford Foun-dation and supported by the World Bank. For creating India’s first female superhero who is a rape survivor, he was named a “gender equality champion” by UN Women and named by Fast Company magazine as one of the most creative people in business.