Interview by Eva Coutts

Benjamin Jones has created a citizen science app which allows the public to visualise how his proposed public saltmarsh park at Glasgow Airport might transform the adjacent landscape over the next 200 years.

What is your graduation project about?

Grounded transforms the site of Glasgow Airport into a public saltmarsh park, restoring contaminated land, reconnecting communities of humans and non-humans to the landscape, and creating a dynamic and resilient space that will protect communities from the effects of the climate crisis - and allow them to react to future changes. This is facilitated by the creation of Y.our Land, an app that empowers communities to monitor, nurture, and advance the formation of their landscape over the next 200 years and beyond. The project acts as a case study for the creation of a wider saltmarsh network, laying down a framework for other potential sites to respond to the changing climate and other harmful effects of the Anthropocene.

A timelapse feature provides a fun opportunity for users to visualise and monitor the marsh growth over time, flora and fauna recognition software is used to chronicle growing ecological networks, and data on carbon capture and pollution is measured and stored communally through the Collaboration feature. Visitors are able to use the app to join varied and inclusive events, from data collection and marsh care, to community activities and wildlife adventure days.

Can you tell us about some of the things which inspire you and your work?

My practice this year has been inspired by the idea of Timefulness as a way to combat the short-terminism that regularly blights our decision making, as talked about by Marcia Bjornerud in her book Timefulness: How Thinking Like a Geologist Can Help Save the World.

How have the events over the past year affected your work?

Lack of access to the sites, studios, workshops, libraries, or computer labs has undoubtedly been a real challenge. But with the wealth of information, images, and academic work available online I was able to experience the landscape from my own home. As we were less able to explore the sites in general this allowed me the freedom to work with Glasgow Airport, the most interesting of my identified sites, but one made otherwise inaccessible by towering fences and security.

The challenge of having to rely almost exclusively on digital means to experience a landscape and communicate my work inspired the development of the app, as a tool whereby communities can continue to engage with their landscape, whether they are there in person or not.