Wither- Deforestation happening in the amazone rainforest Original

Wither x UNESCO - Interactive Art

During the covid pandemic, deforestation accelerated 71% in the Amazon alone.
This could happen because there was no one there to watch and guard the Rainforest against our greed. This interactive artwork uses the data from the Indiana University Bloomington (USA) in collaboration with Unesco to let a slice of rainforest disappear in front of us at the rate of deforestation happening in the Amazon.

This work marks our time when a pandemic, economic, and biodiversity loss are interwoven. It exposes the fragility of the ecosystem and emphasizes the role we can have in its protection or destruction.

Controlled by the data streams updated every two weeks using the Universities deforestation monitoring A.I. algorithms, the leafs turn transparent with every 128m2 of rainforest disappearing in real-time. With a 645 m2 per second, the leafs and their clicking relays form a monumental work that keeps updating in real-time. Using relays that make a clicking sound with each leaf it created an analog soundscape that reflected the chopping of the woods in the distance.


The work is traveling from location to location in the coming years with a focus on public education and awareness. After many exhibitions, we see the same reaction, from World leaders to children. The aesthetics of the artwork open the mind, but when realizing the message, facts and feelings are combined and make people fully aware of the fragile moment we are in.

The work is an interwoven collaboration between Unesco and the Artist Thijs Biersteker and the team of Woven Studio that created a fully circular installation from waste stream materials. It is delivered with a material passport to allow future generations to recycle the artwork, hopefully, on the day the work might not be needed anymore and deforestation is being put to hold.