Terrestrial University: Of Volcanoes and Immersive Technology

What does prehistoric cave painting have to do with contemporary art? And why are volcanology and media technology of highest relevance? The curator Martin Guinard discusses such and much more with the artists and scientists Karen Holmberg and Andrés Burbano.

In the third edition of the »Terrestrial University«, we welcome the artists Karen Holmberg and Andrés Burbano. Thematically, they deal with the exploration of the Earth's interior in the context of the exhibition »Critical Zones«, to be more precise: with a volcano in Patagonia. The two give us an insight into their research, during which they took the footage that formed the basis for their artistic work. Their 360-degree video »Topography-Time-Volcano: Online version«, can be explored on our digital platform. In the physical exhibition, which will open its doors for visitors on July 24, 2020, they present the multi-channel video installation »Double-Sided Immersion«. Both representations transport this immersive environment in a fascinating way.

Andrés Burbano is a media artist and scholar and currently teaches as an Associate Professor in the Department of Design at Universidad de Los Andes, in Bogotá, Colombia, and Visiting Professor at the Danube University in Krems, Austria. Burbano holds a PhD in Media Arts and Technology from the University of California Santa Barbara.

Karen Holmberg is a volcanologist and archaeologist interested in the creative conveyance of environmental knowledge and narratives of deep time, prehistory, and modern science. She works with contexts of radical landscape transformations in the past, present, and future. Holmberg currently teaches as a Visiting Assistant Professor of Environmental Science at the interdisciplinary Gallatin School of New York University.

The conversation is accompanied by the co-curator of the exhibition, Martin Guinard. In about one hour, they will explore scientific as well as artistic aspects of the work within the conceptual framework of the exhibition. Viewers have the opportunity to ask specific questions to the artists via our telegram group (zkm_criticalzones).