Dawn Gaietto is a lens-based practitioner working and living in London. Her doctoral research, entitled What is happening here? [exploits of the nonhuman] was completed at the Slade School of Fine Art, University College London. Her research is centered on examining small components of nonhuman agency, allowing for momentary lapses in preconceived notions, and exploring the impacts of nonhumans acting upon and influencing humans.
Recently she has been in residence at LABVERDE in Manaus, Brazil; and recent publications include Trace: Journal for Human-Animal Studies, Espacio Fronterizo, and Time to Waste. Recent exhibitions include the installation of a functional pigeon loft within a gallery space. This intervention allowed for a potential reconfiguring of viewership — creating new formulations of sustainability — both in the art making practices and a wider practice of being-in-the-world.
“The images in Unfixed Consciousness/Positive Unconsciousness are manifestations of the collective agency between the mechanical, technological, and atmospheric elements as well as my own as composer and interpreter. This was done by building an imaging device that triggers the shutter through changes in the temperature and humidity as detected by an SHT11x sensor that queried the environment once a minute.”
This device was deployed in several archetypical ecosystems throughout Alachua County for an eighteen-hour period. The measurements of temperature and humidity were selected as parameters for this project due to their relevance to shifting climate in North-Central Florida.