A Bought Kingdom is a newly commissioned multimedia immersive installation for Locust Projects’ 625-sq ft Project Room by German-born, NYC-based artist Johanna Strobel confronting the ecological consequences of human ambition. The exhibition remains on view through June 13, 2026.

Rooted in the extinction of the Dusky Seaside Sparrow, a species whose small, marshy habitat was destroyed by the development of Kennedy Space Center on Florida’s Meritt Island and the St. John’s River, the project examines the complex intersections of environmental degradation and the United States’ race to space. Strobel uses this little-known yet poignant history as a lens to explore broader themes of ecological fragility, loss, and the consequences of progress and power.

The project traces the extinction of the Dusky Seaside Sparrow, a small bird that lived in the salt marshes on Merritt Island’s fragile and unique salt marsh ecosystem – the species’ only and limited habitat. It was gradually destroyed in the 1960s by the development of Kennedy Space Center, along with the accompanying infrastructure projects. Massive interventions such as the use of pesticides like DDT and the deliberate flooding of the area to control mosquito populations irreversibly altered the ecosystem. Following a rapid decline in the Dusky population, the last six remaining birds—named after the colored identification bands on their legs: Blue, Green, Red, White, Yellow, and Orange Band—were captured and sent on an odyssey through various institutions for failed breeding attempts. All the birds were male. The four surviving birds were eventually relocated to Discovery Island, a zoo on a small natural island that was part of Disney World at the time. There, they died one after another in captivity, after all final breeding efforts failed. A decade later, Disney abandoned Discovery Island without explanation. Today, the island is overgrown, though some structures are still visible from the shores of Bay Lake, which is lined with various Disney resorts. Disney later built a new, artificial Discovery Island within the Animal Kingdom theme park—just a few kilometers away. Today, Merritt Island is a nature reserve, but this designation came too late for the Dusky Seaside Sparrow.

The exhibition is a Knight Digital Commission and is accompanied by a publication published by EXILE. Special thanks to Amanda Keeley.