Eco-Visionaries
HeK – Haus der elektronischen Künste Basel
Exhibition 30.08.2018 – 11.11.2018
Jambalaya a.o.
Art, New Media and Ecology After the Anthropocene
The exhibition Eco-Visionaries is dedicated to the topic of ecological change and presents artistic responses to current challenges. It investigates new media, technologies and techno-scientific methods in the arts and their significance for the perception and awareness of the “ecological.”
How are new media, technologies and technology-scientific methods used in the arts to draw attention to pressing ecological issues? What visionary projects and ideas are emerging to tackle climate change, food shortage and resource depletion? Which solutions are worth pursuing?
The group exhibition Eco-Visionaries focuses on the idea of a sustainable approach to the environment and ecological coexistence at a time when everyone, especially the natural sciences and the arts, is talking about the Anthropocene. In this new geochronological epoch, man has become one of the most important factors influencing biological, geological and atmospheric processes on Earth.
Eco-Visionaries presents artistic responses to current challenges, whereby some of the new works were created for the context of the exhibition. The exhibition shows how new media and technologies are used, not only to draw attention to ecological problems, but also to develop visionary solutions. Media artists and transmedial arrangements are able to evoke emotions in the audience and encourage people to get involved. At best, the ability of art to involve people brings about a lasting change in behaviour.
Curators: Sabine Himmelsbach, Karin Ohlenschläger and Yvonne Volkart
Artists: Baggenstos/Rudolf (CH), Ursula Biemann (CH), María Castellanos and Alberto Valverde (ES), Fieldstations (D), Terike Haapoja (FI), HeHe (FR), Chris Jordan (US), Wanuri Kahiu (KE), knowbotiq (CH), Vanessa Lorenzo (ES/CH), Marcus Maeder (CH), AnneMarie Maes (BE), Joana Moll (ES), Rasa Smite and Raitis Smits (LV), Unknown Fields Division (GB), Ana Vaz (PT), Aline Veillat (CH/FR)
In cooperation with MAAT (Lisbon, Portugal), Bildmuseet (Umea, Sweden) and LABoral (Gijon, Spain)
The exhibition and the fringe events are scientifically supported by the following project partners: Institut Ästhetische Praxis und Theorie, IAeP, HGK FHNW, Schweizerischer Nationalfonds SNF and Eidgenössische Forschungsanstalt für Wald, Schnee und Landschaft WSL.
On the occasion of the exhibition the book Eco-Visionaries has been published. It’s available here.