At LoPresti Park in East Boston, Beam Me Down aimed to reconsider the linear narrative of climate change, using queer ecologies and small acts of resilience. The installation centered around a large “time-ship,” reminiscent of an unidentified flying object (UFO) with portholes containing fossils of local tidal animals. The sculpture, along with an accompanying sci-fi comic, provided viewers with the story of the time-ship’s discovery and the meaning of the creatures visible in each porthole. The piece was meant to challenge the concept of linear time while illustrating the wonder of all that cannot be explained, such as how shells form perfect spirals or why some of the most ancient creatures possess the ability to change sex. It asked us to reconsider our relationships with some of the smallest animals who sustain life at the water’s edge and what they may be able to teach us about how to survive the rising waters and extreme tidal landscape of the future.

Eli is a trans artist working in sculpture, drawing, and community organizing, exploring queer and trans intimacies through time and cross-generational dynamics. They are especially interested in asking what the future of human evolution could look like if we reimagined reproduction as a queer, ecological strategy. Recent work has been featured at Flux Factory, deCordova Sculpture Park and Museum, Tailgate Projects in Tampa, FL., and Creative Time Summit X.

LOCATION

LoPresti Park in East Boston