New exhibition at Goethe-Institut explores the future of plastics
Final instalment of ‘The Glenkeen Variations’ series in 2024 features artists examining the life, death, and afterlife of synthetic materials
A multimedia art exhibition exploring our complex relationship with plastics will open at the Goethe-Institut Irland on Thursday, 7th November 2024. Titled ‘The Glenkeen Variations: With or Without You’, the exhibition is the third and final instalment of ‘The Glenkeen Variations’ series in 2024, presented jointly by the Goethe-Institut Irland and the Crespo Foundation.
Curated by Ben Livne Weitzman, ‘With or Without You’ features work by four international artists who participated in the Glenkeen Garden Residencies, an artist-in-residence programme located in West Cork. As outcomes of these residencies, the works reflect a deep connection to the Irish landscape and environment and are inspired by the unique natural context of Glenkeen Garden and its setting on Roaringwater Bay. The exhibition examines the life cycle of plastics—focusing on both their proliferation and the challenges posed by their disposal.
The exhibition includes two distinct but interconnected projects:
Filippa Pettersson (Sweden) & Kristin Reiman (Estonia) imagine a post-human future where termites and cockroaches, now the dominant species, battle a shortage of plastic resources, which have been nearing depletion since the early 36,000s p.o. (post-organic). In this speculative world, termites have developed technologies like drill-scanning and excro-printing to revive synthetic polymer production. During their three-month residency at Glenkeen Garden, Pettersson and Reiman envisioned how these creatures might process plastics for sustenance as the supply of synthetic materials becomes scarce.
Carolin Liebl & Nikolas Schmid-Pfähler (Germany) present their research into the biodegradability of plastics. Inspired by the compost piles of Glenkeen Garden, they explored the slow decomposition of specific plastics. Through their project, they visually map how these materials age over time in natural environments, using photographic documentation to capture the hidden yet vibrant world of plastic decay.
Located in Ballydehob along Roaringwater Bay, Glenkeen Garden was created by Ulrike Crespo (1950-2019) and Michael Satke. Since 2021, the Crespo Foundation has hosted international artists for three-month residencies, inviting them to explore the relationship between art and nature.
‘The Glenkeen Variations: With or Without You’ will run at the Goethe-Institut from 8th November to 7th December 2024, following a public opening event on 7th November at 5pm. The exhibition is free to visit, and no advance registration is required.
The exhibition will be accompanied by artist talks and presentations, offering audiences deeper insights into the creative processes and research behind the works. These include an artist talk in the National Sculpture Factory in Cork on Friday, 8th November 2024; and artist presentations at the Working Artist Studios in Ballydehob on Saturday, 9th November 2024.
For further details about ‘The Glenkeen Variations’ exhibition and event series, visit: goethe.de/ireland.
ENDS
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