Yucca: Learning from Wetlands

Simone Johnson

Yucca is a summer research project that sits in the in-between; it is led by seeing what happens, Simone’s water futures practice and what author Bayo Akomolafe calls “an activism of inquiry”. Follow Simone’s journey as she documents her experiences visiting Jamaica Bay Wildlife Refuge in Queens, NYC, as well as her speculations on the desires and imaginations of wetlands, especially as it relates to land development in NYC. This project aims to respond to and be in dialogue with a set of curated multimedia content and conversations, and the New York City Comprehensive Waterfront Plan. Yucca also includes Simone’s pilot Blue Planet Free School, which will host a series of weekly workshops focused on learning about wetlands into early July.

Learn more about Yucca on Simone's Are.na page.

Week 5: Simone Johnson

Rising sea levels and living in a city originally made me think of the legend of Atlantis. I wondered about the place millions call home going underwater at some point in the future.

One of the reasons Atlantis is interesting is because it has been described as a technologically advanced society. I want to play around with this concept

What if 'technologically advanced' in New York City meant being in right relationship with water? Or intentional conversations, collaboration and experimentation between different kinds of artists and other creatives like educators, healers, librarians, urban planners, architects, activists, farmers and fisher folk, engineers and legislators? 

What if bioartists were involved in conversations about NYC's climate emergency plans, like the Climate Mobilization Act?