Messages from the Marsh, part 5, video still 10

Messages from the Marsh is a work in progress for an immersive experience featuring video projections, sound art, and mapping. The project showcases marsh locations along the US East Coast that are projected to be underwater by 2050 due to sea level rise, tides, and storm surges. Videos highlight the unique otherworldly beauty of these locations, both above and below the waterline, with environmental elements playing a significant role in co-producing the videos.

Supported by research, the fuller project aims to raise awareness about the potential impact of coastal marsh loss on the ecosystem. It emphasizes the importance of marshes as transitional barrier spaces, rich migratory habitats, and carbon capture systems. Additionally, it focuses on preservation, restoration, and management efforts. The work involves site-specific research, video documentation, and in-person engagement. Videos shown reflect on immersion of spaces inhabited, spaces transformed, and spaces potentially lost. The water’s skin, the separation of the realms of water and air, are explored through underwater and over water imaging with a GoPro. Each piece works in relationship with each other to suggest a fuller, interconnected and dynamic rhythm with resonant impact across their spaces.

Funded in part by the Kathleen Van Demark Fund for the Great Marsh overseen by the Manship Artists Residency with support from Artists for the Great Marsh.

Enormous thanks to Kenneth Hinegardner, Kristina Kehrer, Björn Lütjens, and Judith Sprague for production assistance and words of encouragement.

Artist Bio

Video artist Amy Kaczur has exhibited her work globally, focusing on environmental issues and community. She has lived and worked extensively in Boston, Cambridge, Long Beach, and Los Angeles. She has participated in residency programs in California, Colorado, and New York and is a member of Kingston Gallery, Boston.

Kaczur's current projects focus on urgent water issues, particularly the impact of rising sea levels on coastal flood zones in the United States and the threats they pose to coastal marshes and ecosystems. Her dedication to environmental advocacy is deeply rooted in her upbringing near the industrial hub of Cleveland, Ohio, where her family has a rich history in farming, the food industry, mills, and coal mining in rural Southern Ohio, near the Appalachian region. These formative experiences have fueled her passion for addressing critical environmental challenges, including pollution, climate change, and the complex balance between land use and conservation. Her sixteen years in Southern California also gave her valuable insights into land use and water scarcity, inspiring her to contribute to these important discussions and solutions.

Along with her art practice, Kaczur works at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as a group administrator for three research labs focusing on air and water pollution, climate change modeling, and clean energy development and storage. She continuously develops her art practice, supported by relentless research, discovery by experiment, and the pleasure of inquisitive searching.

Kaczur holds an MFA from the University of California, Irvine, and a BFA from Tufts University.