Out of this world

The knowledge about our surrounding environments, nature and our climate, seems to increase in relation to the changes we observe in our daily life and the apocalyptic prophecies we encounter on a regular basis. Our view of ourselves and our place in this world suggests a growing echo-awareness in our culture where the sensory attachment to our surroundings affect how we perceive a rapidly changing world. The connection between ecology and art becomes relevant especially when it comes to human existential uncertainty. Many artists have been preoccupied with ecological questions and the importance nature has in our society for some time, but now these questions have a different kind of urgency.

The selection of video works in this exhibition provides an insight into the early experimental phase of the 1970s and 1980s when the film and video media was still new and challenging for artists to explore. Today, video is a practice not primarily used by artists because of the visual and aesthetic possibilities of the medium itself, but as a way of working with subjects in both a documentary and a more dwelling poetic way.

In «Out of this World» the seven artists offer an insight into unique natural environments through a first-hand perspective. By showing us a sensitivity towards their surroundings, they allow us to experience these landscapes through the human gaze. Hopefully, this exhibition will not present a dystopia, but rather share some of the optimism of perceiving the format of video as a medium that potentially opens for reflections on how nature and humans can exist in the same ecosystem.

Stating that something is ‘out of this world’ implies that something is outstanding or exceptional. The title of the exhibition thus claims that the material the artists are focusing on – our natural surroundings – either urban or man-made landscapes, touristic scenery, a mapping of topography, or catching a unique moment happening in natural settings. The title aims to underline that we are a part of something larger than ourselves, something exceptional, uncontrollable and almost out of this world. Yet, these landscapes are born out of this world. Perhaps we can let it shift our perspective further; let it bring our surroundings closer to us by sensing a stronger connection between our inner and outer world.

The exhibition is curated by Margrete Abelsen, exhibition producer at the Trøndelag Center for Contemporary Art, and runs until Sunday 12th of January 2020.