The Fort Tilden Project:
A Visual Survey of Wetlands Ecology
by Peter Warny and Brandon Ballengée

The project is a collaborative effort between Brandon Ballengée, environmental artist, and Mr. Peter Warny, associate Researcher for the New York State Museum. Continuing along with the concept of the new millennium, the project is dedicated to changing ecological conditions. Wetlands globally are disappearing at an unprecedented rate. Urban expansion over the past century has greatly reduced aquatic habitats. The primary theme of the installation focuses on wetlands bio-diversity. Enclosed in glass cases are a selection of preserved specimens. The species exhibited represent a broad evolutionary spectrum. A Pipa Pipa frog from South America is juxtaposed alongside a native New England Anglerfish.

Also as part of the collaborative work Warny and Ballengée performed a wetlands survey of the Fort Tilden area. The data obtained from the field work is transformed into a visual dialogue that becomes a conceptual form of environmental outreach. Their findings are displayed through a number of digital prints. The images show micro and macro flora and fauna, some species indigenous to the New York area while others, come from as far away as central Asia. Over the past thousand years, numerous organisms, perhaps millions, have been introduced to the North American continent---each one having a impact, however slight, on the surrounding biology.

Although artists have long borrowed scientific images to use in their art, Peter Warny and Brandon Ballengée collaborate as an science/art team to blur the already ambiguous boundaries between environmental art and ecological research. A special Thank You to Evelyn X. Silva, Geoff Rawling, and the Far Rockaway Artists Alliance.