Ariel Aberg-Riger

Aug 24, 2021

2 min read

The Weight of One Atmosphere

Copper colored blob with white handwritten text tells a short story about The Challenger Deep — the deepest point on earth.

Light blue colored blob with white handwritten text tells a short story about my son Daniel and how he loves a show called Octonauts.

Salmon colored blob with white handwritten text tells a short story about the force of “one atmosphere” and how pressure increases underwater, and decreases in space.

Olive colored blob with white handwritten text tells a short story about how my son Daniel keeps running away from summer camp.

Mustard colored blob with white handwritten text tells a short story about how when I was Daniel’s age I used to think I could walk through walls if my atoms lined up right.

Purple colored blob with white handwritten text tells a short story about how if you bring deep sea creatures to the surface of the ocean, some explode but some don’t.

Orange colored blob with white handwritten text tells a short story about how Daniel and I watch a YouTube video about Twinkies in a vacuum, and I think about how space is pressure, holding us together or tearing us apart.

Navy colored blob with white handwritten text tells a short story about deep sea mining.

Forest green colored blob with white handwritten text tells a short story about how my phone is constantly showing alerts about a planet in climate crisis as my son goes about his daily life.

Sea green colored blob with white handwritten text tells a short story about an 11,000 year old glass sea sponge that we are studying for information about ancient climate patterns.

Brownish grey colored blob with white handwritten text tells a short story about how I imagine time travel is like mining — you can do it, but it creates sinkholes that cause the present to collapse into the past.

Black handwritten text on a white background that tells a short story about how Daniel used to cry at night thinking about natural disasters, and how I’d have to calm him down.

Black handwritten text on a white background with all of the colored blobs that appear earlier in the stories making up a ground for Daniel’s future, my words filling gaps, trying to create a more stable surface for him.

Visual Storytelling

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Ariel Aberg-Riger
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