Francis Carmody, Laschamp cycles: Aurora, 2024, nylon, stainless steel, iron, polymer clay, colour pigment, 2 mobiles: 350.00 x 200.00 (diameter) cm; 180.00 x 140.00 (diameter) cm, TCG23717
(photo: The Commercial)

“Francis Carmody’s practice can be understood as a form of speculative storytelling, in which he traces social and natural networks in an effort to not only understand the structures that underpin our current reality, but also foster future imaginaries. His work spans varied mediums and engages an ever-expanding list of collaborators, drawing on the expertise of people across diverse disciplines and technical capabilities to investigate historical and natural phenomena, and to realise projects.

Commissioned for this exhibition, Laschamp Cycles: Aurora’s I & II 2024 are large-scale mobile sculptures that explore the impact of geomagnetic reversal events on the evolution of life on Earth. Taking inspiration from the Laschamp event – a magnetic anomaly that occurred around 42,000 years ago – these works examine how shifts in the Earth’s magnetic field could have led to increased surface radiation, triggering genetic mutations and influencing the course of evolutionary history. Central to this project is the use of the pea plant, known for its role in Gregor Mendel’s 1800s experiments on genetics and its ability to sense magnetic fields. The pea plant serves as a link between two-time scales: the ancient magnetic reversals that may have driven evolution, and our contemporary understanding of genetic inheritance and biological adaptation. The mobile form of these sculptures is integral to their meaning, with its delicate balance suggesting the unseen forces at play in our environment. The branching arms of the mobiles resemble genealogical trees, symbolising growth mutation, and the complex lineage of life shaped by forces that often go unnoticed.”

Text from exhibition wall label in The Charge that Binds, curated by Shelley McSpedden, Australian Centre for Contemporary Art, Melbourne, 2024-2025.

CREDITS:

Geophysicist: Dr. Agathe Lise-Pronovost, Engineer: Alex Chow, Architect: Iqbal Haq,
Additive Manufacturing Advisor: Jack Halls, Custom Painting: John Karl 

Commissioned by Australian Centre for Contemporary art. This project has been supported by the Australian Government through the Australia Council, its arts funding and advisory body and the City of Melbourne through its Creative Projects program.