Abstract. By its very nature Earth is unsettled and in continual
motion. Earthquakes and volcanoes are an expression of the convective
motions of the planet, and our existence on Earth is a consequence of this
tectonic activity. Yet, as humans, we often struggle to understand our role
in relation to such unpredictable natural phenomena and use different
methods to attempt to find order in nature's chaos. In dwelling on the
surface of our “unsettled planet”, we adapt and live with a range of ground
vibrations, both natural and anthropogenic in origin. Our project, funded by
the University of Bristol's Brigstow Institute, seeks to explore how we
perceive and understand the shaky ground we live on, using an
interdisciplinary approach that brings together the Earth sciences, the
history of art and literature, and performance art. Inspired by historical
commentary in the aftermath of large earthquakes, which frequently notes the
unscheduled ringing of church bells excited by the shaking around them, we
reflect on how these purported unscheduled bell-ringing events were caused
not only by near earthquakes but also by distant incidents. To investigate
this phenomenon, we installed a state-of-the-art broadband seismometer in
the Wills Memorial Building tower to record how Great George (the tower
bell) responds to the restless world around him. The installed seismometer
has been recording activity around and within the tower on a near-continuous
basis between late-March 2018 and January 2019. Here, we present the signals
recorded by the seismometer as Great George overlooks the hustle and bustle
of the city around him and investigate how connected we are to our
unsettled planet, even from our tectonically quiet setting in Bristol. We
find that the seismometer not only shows the ebb and flow of activity in and
around Bristol but also registers earthquakes from as nearby as
Lincolnshire, UK, or as far away as Fiji, halfway around the world. In order
to contextualize our findings, our project also considers what determines
how people have responded to earth-shaking events, drawing on both
historical and recent examples, and looks to contemporary art practice to
consider how an awareness of our unsettled planet can be communicated in
new ways. The project has led to a number of art installations and
performances, and feedback from artists and audiences shows how making art
can be used to both investigate our connections with the Earth and to
articulate (and even accept) the uncertainties inherent in encountering
unstable ground.
Earthquake Disaster Mitigation Mapping By Modeling of Land Layer and Site Effect Zone in The Kota Baru of South Lampung
