Around 2010, a wave of social and political unrest  called the 'Awakening' washed over the Middle East. Leading up to this, there was a winter drought in China's wheat-growing regions, a heatwave in Russia, and an outbreak of stem rust in East Africa, which all contributed to dramatically reduce grain production for export. Inflation driven by rising agricultural commodity prices, or agflation, is now widely acknowledged as a key 'stressor' . The counter-revolutionary response to predict unrest has been investment in Automatic Identification Systems, Satellite Imagery and Machine Learning. This 'automated gaze' datafies, surveys and analyses large surfaces of land and water  in order to forecast such things as rainfall, flooding and grain yields, to value insurance premiums, green bonds, and potential zones of conflict.
Source:Â http://fraud.la/finis-terra.html
Finis.Terra manifests is a research into how Satellite Images and machine learning are used to manage resources and environments. The artwork manifests it self in two hammocks and an artist statement in a webpage format. The hammocks are weaved with algorithmically rendered patterns of terrestrial sense data reproducing the aerial view from distance (satellite images). However, pattern recognition and the way the automated gaze analyzes changes on earth makes the views alien to the human eye. The webpage references histories of the view from above and how landscapes have been organized and the power relations and conflicting in interests that emerge when managing and dividing resources. Fragments of those histories are weaved into the artwork and the aesthetic choices the artists have made.Â