Earth 2.0: An Interview with Frank Da Silva
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Concept art Version 3 for the appraoched by Alexander Ward. Unlike concepts One & Two, nature is intertwined into the architecture and technology of the Earth 2 Hub. Copyright © Earth 2 Hub. Click to Enlarge
In continuation of our Earth 2.0. series, Urban Times speaks to the mastermind behind it all, Frank Da Silva. Frank is a producer, filmmaker, an innovator in multimedia technologies and the co-founder of Earth 2 Hub™. He recently directed the short film series Earth 2.0: Initialization, marking the beginning of this ambitious undertaking which aims to re-establish a harmonious relationship between humanity and nature, using art, science and digital creativity.
Frank Da Silva Interview Exclusive
Frank in the Brazilian Rainforest. Photo by Espedito Sana
What was your inspiration behind Earth 2.0?
The Idea for Earth 2.0 came to me when I was visiting Brazil in the summer of 2009, where I saw first hand the recent environmental pressures of the Atlantic Rainforest. It is in far worse shape than its better known cousin, the Amazon Rainforest and I was so shocked to see what was happening there that I just said to myself – we, humanity, need to collectively upgrade our minds and consciousness to stop the exploitation of both people and nature, and shine a light on our obsession for excessive goods that we don’t entirely need.
Tell us more about what you mean by this exploitation?
Well it’s best to take a historical perspective. The destruction of the Atlantic Forest in Brazil began in the 16th century, when mostly Portuguese and Spanish colonial settlements were established along the Atlantic coast. By the early 19th century, forests in Rio de Janeiro, Minas Gerais and São Paulo were being cleared for timber, cattle-ranches and, most especially, coffee plantations. Today, the destruction continues not only to create more pasture for cattle grazing, but for the lucrative business of planting eucalyptus trees which supply the paper, construction and furniture industry – eucalyptus are very bad for the soil and after they remove the trees, erosion is very common.
This is a long story, worthy of books and film… I guess at the core I wanted to channel my anger by documenting all this on film. The majority of people here in Europe only talk about the Amazon Forest, and have very little awareness of the exploitation of the Atlantic Rainforest. Many have never even heard of it!
What remains of the Fragmented Brazilian Atlantic Rainforest. In Portuguese, the 'Mata Atlântica' is a region of tropical and subtropical moist forest, tropical dry forest, tropical savanna, semi deciduous forest and mangrove forests. Source Wikipedia
What did you do then and how did the idea take shape?
As soon as I got back to the UK I started creating mockups. First of all, I knew it would be something connected to our planet and that Earth should be in the main title. The other subject I wanted to bring in was the connection between nature and technology, particularly how a more symbiotic relationship could help humanity go through the first phase; what I started calling the ‘Upgrade’. This would guide us through to a more sustainable world, inspiring positive change and co-operation amongst ourselves and with the natural world.
Why did you call it an ‘Upgrade’?
With the Upgrade idea I just thought, why not use some computer terminology, a buzz word of the moment; back then the term “web 2.0” was being thrown around a lot. I was intrigued by the notion that we are living in some sort of OS (Operating System) started to take shape and the main idea was that we need badly to start an Upgrade of our Operating Principles, or else remain stuck in the old paradigm (or old OS) of an unsustainable world that will most likely lead us to destruction. Straight after that I started doing some research into how I would make a documentary. The initial idea was simple, and I started talking to people through social media, etc to see who would be interested in the project. I must say I was fortunate to meet very talented people and out of those connections the project began.
Before you read the rest of the Interview, watch Earth 2.0: Initialization below.
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