When will the Sea Swallow the Land? SLS MIAMI
When will the Sea Swallow the Land?
A site specific installation by Katja Loher
In the entranceway of SLS Brickell, Miami
Grand Opening: November 17. 2016
Commissioned by RELATED
For the new SLS Brickell Downtown Miami Katja Loher has been commissioned to create a site specific installation in the entranceway of the hotel. The artist presents an ambitious video work that will be welcoming the visitors. Six circular video-discs of 8ft diameter each are placed into the ceiling, they open up a window to Katja Loher’s video universe – the arriving guests immediately find themselves involved in a magical and inspiring atmosphere.
The core of Katja Loher's work is to draw parallels and cross lines between ecology and technology, the intention is not to promulgate a mere disapproval but to find harmony and life proof solutions to the ever-changing relationship between humans and nature. With this installation, the artist creates a dreamy and meditative stage where Mother Nature whispers her affliction, touching our minds and souls.
When will the Sea Swallow the Land? calls attention to one of Global Warming’s immediate effects: the rising of the sea level. The imminent disappearance of many land areas surrounded by water led Loher to contrive six Video-Islands, each of them exploring the preciousness of our Earth and the risks of man’s imprudent exploration of resources. Employing the four elements (fire, earth, air and water) and the human senses (sight, hearing, taste, smell, touch, and the sixth sense), this intervention invites us to contemplate and review the delicate association of our actions and the power of nature.
To create these intriguing videos the artist travelled to the Amazon indigenous in South America. She spent time with the tribes and recorded knowledge and songs with the intention to share their deep understanding and respect of nature and all its forms and creatures.
These intriguing videos are the result of the artist’s stay with Maestro Flores, in the Peruvian Amazon forest were she was immersed in Asháninka and Shipibo culture and their particular knowledge of the world. She was able to film on location and to record their songs with the purpose of sharing their deep understanding and respect of Nature and all its forms and creatures.
Loher mixes footage from paradisiac nature captured using aerial drones, creating visual collages that blend with elaborated kaleidoscopic choreographies filmed from a bird’s eye view in a green-screen studio and video laboratory in New York.
A notable feature in the artist’s oeuvre are questions that, like surprising probes, rise up from the subconscious. The poetic queries are formulated with her long time collaborator Gian-Maria Annovi, and are brought to life using the Video-Alphabet: Loher’s creation of words and interrogations that are written by the performance of the dancers and are twined with the bodies, juxtaposing language and the enigmatic communication of the animal kingdom. Placing the Video-Islands on the ceiling of the entrance way brings a change of perspective, directing the audience to look for answers from another point of view.
This video series highlights the collision of natural and artificial, and the inevitable effects of it. Engaged in an experience that resonates globally and addresses ecological urgencies, the viewer can empower the sense of awareness and responsibility, being crucial part of a collective effort to prevent such ecological disaster. Beauty is essential to Katja Loher’s work, as she believes the most important messages will be truly captivating if delivered through virtue and inspiration.
Scenes from the opening event
