Plant (Magnolia pallescens)

Plant (Magnolia pallescens), 2024. Cibachrome print, 33cm x 33cm. JPEG 4320 X 4320 pixels. Following the protocols of the blockchain that define a space protected from destruction, manipulation, and the passing of time, artist Debora Hirsch decided to bring back to life and preserve nearly extinct plants within the realm of AI and physical painting. These endangered species are recorded on the blockchain, granting them an eternal virtual existence, while serving as a symbolic memory of what we have lost and what we risk losing. Plants, frames, landscapes, architecture details and monolithic birds all together, aim at emphasizing the complexity of interconnections that belong to ecosystems while evoking the delicate equilibrium and transience of nature. MAGNOLIA PALLESCENS Native: Dominican Republic. Assessment: Endangered. Threats: In the Ebano Verde Scientific Reserve, logging and agriculture replaced forests with ferns. Forest fires have further degraded the Valle Nuevo area. PLANT: Between 1960 and 1980 populations suffered serious declines as a result of felling for cabinet work. There is no information on the numbers of individuals remaining.