In their new collaboration, "PERNiCiEM" which is Latin for extinction, the two artist's turn their eye towards the environment and some of its most endangered species. Covering five main habitats; oceans, forests, deserts, grasslands and the arctic, the idea is simple- that if we do not collectively act to conserve our planet and its species, then we're left with having to create an artificial reality. Sawaya's sculptures are built, photographed and rendered into West's photography, emulating a form of augmented reality that references the increasing digitalization of our world. The pixelated effect forces the viewer to consider the past, present and future of our landscape.
The effects of climate change, declining sea ice, deforestation, polluted waterways and the illegal wildlife trade, have decimated the numbers of species across the globe pushing many to the brink of extinction. This collaboration forces the viewer to consider their own relationship, with a fast changing world.