The East Hawaii Cultural Center’s latest exhibition, “Terra Forme,” imagines the Earth as a vast, diverse and dynamic living entity.
Adapted from the science fiction term terraforming, the exhibition title describes the long-term transformation of an alien environment to one that can support human life.
“Terra Forme” is on view from Saturday to Sept. 30, with a 6 p.m. opening tonight.
The exhibition showcases the work of eight artists who originate from far-flung locations: Icelandic artists Halldor Asgeirsson, Heimir Bjorgulfsson and Arngunnur Yr; Solomon Enos, Leslie Gleim, Hamilton Kobayashi and Michelle Schwengel-Regala from Hawaii; and Mucyo from Rwanda.
The exhibition is guest curated by physician and world traveler Koan Jeff Baysa.
He was inspired by his 2019 travels to witness two dramatic eruptions: Kilauea in Hawaii and Fagradalsfjall in Iceland, where magma, originating in the Earth’s mantle, spectacularly emerges as lava through volcanoes and seamounts, creating new land.
The oldest lava flows on Earth are about 4 billion years old. By comparison, ancestors of modern-day humans appeared around 5-7 million years ago.
Some lava fields can turn to soil supporting plant life in roughly four years, but it can take 25,000 years for a lava flow area to develop into a viable ecosystem.
The featured artists view these phenomena through the lenses of geomorphology and indigenous interpretations of natural phenomena, according to an EHCC press release.
In addition to oral histories by elders and stories of volcano deities, the exhibition’s references include Hawaii’s emerging seamount Kamaehuakanaloa located off Hawaii Island and the subglacial volcano Fagradalsfjall on Iceland’s Reykjanes Peninsula.
There also are representations of Kilauea’s lava lake and the lava lake of Mount Nyiragongo in the Democratic Republic of the Congo near the border with Rwanda.
For more information, visit EHCC online at ehcc.org, call 961-5711, or visit EHCC at 141 Kalakaua St. in Hilo.
Current gallery and office hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Tuesday through Friday, and Saturday 10 a.m. to 2 p.m.
