Item
Project

Center for the Study of the Force Majeure

A comparative visual study of three major Asian river systems—the Ganges, Hwang-Ho (Yellow River), and Yang-Tse (Yangtze River). Each row pairs a colorful geographic map with an aerial satellite view of the river's headwaters, highlighting the surrounding terrain, waterways, and mountainous landscapes.
A gallery installation titled Peninsula Europe, featuring two large framed maps of Europe displayed on adjoining white walls. The left map shows a detailed geographic view of the continent, while the right presents a reimagined topographical map with arrows and explanatory text. The image appears on a publication page captioned “From Peninsula Europe III.”
Name
Center for the Study of the Force Majeure
Short Description
Founded at UC Santa Cruz in 2009 by Helen Mayer Harrison and Newton Harrison, and carried forward today by their son Joshua Harrison, this center develops large-scale, ecologically based adaptation proposals as artworks. It responds to what the Harrisons called the Force Majeure: the combined pressure of global warming and industrial processes on all planetary systems.
Description
The center grew out of nearly 45 years of the Harrisons’ collaborative ecological art, which proposed ways for ecosystems and communities to adapt to environmental change. Early support included a $220,000 grant from the Metabolic Studio for research on assisted species migration at Sagehen Creek in the Sierra Nevada. Related works include Peninsula Europe, Tibet Is the High Ground, the Sierra Nevada works, and The Bays of San Francisco. Since the founders’ deaths, Joshua Harrison has continued the center’s work.
Type
en Research Center
Founded
2009
Founder
Helen & Newton Harrison
Climate & Ecology Themes
Adaptation and Resilience
Biodiversity and Species Loss
Migration and Displacement
Concepts
Future Ecologies
More-than-Human Relations
Speculative Futures and Imagination
Ecological Domain / Habitat
Conifer / Mountain Forest
Watershed
Methods & Approaches
Mapping / GIS
Scientific / Ecological Research
Speculative / Futures Practice
Discipline / Field
Arts & Design
Interdisciplinary
Audience / Engagement
Public / General Audience
Geographic Scope
International / Global
Location
Santa Cruz, California
Partners
Metabolic Studio; Sagehen Creek Field Station
Website
https://www.theharrisonstudio.net/art-projects-2/force-majeure-synthesis-2009-present
Rights
In Copyright. Rights belong to the creator.
Current Status
Active
Item sets
California Art & Climate Archive
UC Santa Cruz
Site pages
Home
Media
A comparative visual study of three major Asian river systems—the Ganges, Hwang-Ho (Yellow River), and Yang-Tse (Yangtze River). Each row pairs a colorful geographic map with an aerial satellite view of the river's headwaters, highlighting the surrounding terrain, waterways, and mountainous landscapes.Center for the Study of the Force Majeure 1
A gallery installation titled Peninsula Europe, featuring two large framed maps of Europe displayed on adjoining white walls. The left map shows a detailed geographic view of the continent, while the right presents a reimagined topographical map with arrows and explanatory text. The image appears on a publication page captioned “From Peninsula Europe III.”Center for the Study of the Force Majeure 2