Big Island, Hawai'i 02009 - Setting a mark for Long-Term thinking
“02009” Embossment into hot active lava, Big Island/ Hawai‘i, February 02009. „02009“ is a reference to the Long Now Foundation in San Francisco. The Long Now Foundation was established in 01996 to creatively foster long-term thinking and responsibility in the framework of the next 10,000 years. The leading zero date format (01997, 02010,..) was introduced to communicate that purpose.
Our decision to emboss the date “02009” into these lava flows had been made soon after the arrival on the beautiful island, having seen this incredibly strong but also peaceful sceneries of active lava flows from a close distance for the first time - a chance to get a glimpse of the inner core of this planet. The vast amount of energy that sits right beneath our feet originates from processes that started billions of years ago, literally linking the present with the creation of our planet, as part of the universe.
The marks that have been left in the flow fields could be suitable to emphasize the urgent need to raise awareness for long-term thinking, and, as a result, higher responsibility towards our own as well as future generations.
