16 - 23 NOVEMBER 2024
Institute of Fine Arts of Cali in Colombia
Institute of Fine Arts of Cali in Colombia
ECHOES OF LIFE
— Memories From Fragile Ecosystems
— Memories From Fragile Ecosystems
Featured artists: Alfacenttauri, Bianca Shonee Arroyo-Kreimes, Connie Bakshi, Ganbrood, Harriet Davey, Inès Alpha, Kira Xonorika, Micah Alhadeff, Sam Clover, and SCERBO.
Initiated by Ana Aguirre and Diane Drubay, and presented by Blueshift Gallery, the exhibition “Echoes of Life” fosters dialogue on biodiversity’s urgent challenges from global perspectives. Bringing together 9 digital artists in a low-impact exhibition, visitors are being invited to reflect on the causes of local biodiversity loss. The exhibition is open from November 16 to 23, 2024 at the Faculty of Visual and Applied Arts, Departamental Institute of Fine Arts of Cali in Colombia.
Have you ever felt a special attachment to a tree, a river or a stone? The memories we create with non-humans and non-living beings make up who we are. But these beings with whom we have exchanged, verbally or otherwise, disappear, and not in a natural way. Rivers are emptying, forests are being turned into quarries, minerals, birds and flowers have become rare commodities to be traded. Biodiversity is in danger, and the reasons are anthropocentric. Whether in Australia, Canada, Mexico or Colombia, these beings that are part of our memories are suffering or disappearing. Here, artists globally wish to remember and honor these fragile ecosystems, those who constitute a collective memory that transcends time.
In the context of a global biodiversity crisis, the exhibition offers a thoughtful and urgent panorama of the causes and consequences of species extinction and resources loss, while also invoking the power of cultural memory and our intrinsic connection to life as a catalyst for change. Echoes of Life calls for collective action through powerful digital storytelling to protect Earth’s fragile ecosystems and urges us to find and pursue new pathways for ecological renewal.
The exhibition unfolds through two concepts that mutually oppose and expand upon each other: Bio-Anamnesis and Collective Memory. What stories lie within the biodiversity that characterises our ecosystems? How do historical records and fossils inform our understanding of life’s dynamic evolution? In what ways can our exploration illuminate the impacts of climate change and human activity on these ecosystems? ‘Bio-Anamnesis’ is an invitation to remember the connections we have with non-human, living and non-living beings. How do cultural stories affect our relationship to the natural world? What traditional knowledge can we utilize to enhance our comprehension of biodiversity? How do these findings connect the past and present? ‘Collective Memory’ calls for the search for universal knowledge, ancient or unwritten, to face the current challenges facing our planet.
This exhibition features a diverse group of artists from around the world addressing the sources of biodiversity loss in their regions, such as artist Ana Aguirre (Colombia), who highlights birds as vital environmental indicators, using synthesizers to evoke a reflection on the delicate interdependence of ecosystems. Kelly Richardson (Canada), who represents extinct species in diamonds, the material that contains the most pure carbon. Artist Juan Ramirez (Ecuador) presents an organic allegory of industrial recycling and nature, strangely now totally and beautifully intertwined. Alexandra Crouwers (Belgium) creates a face-off between the fire stone, one of man's earliest tools, and the mouse, which today provides access to the technological world. Helio Santos (Mexico) presents a reflection on borders reimagined by AI, where mountains disappear and are reborn to the rhythm of extractions. Devan Harlan (USA) highlights our society's leftover consumption and lost resources. BE A STEREOTYPE aka Judd Buchanan (Brazil) presents a series of three relics of the human technological world, at once broken and cherished. Rodell Warner (Trinidad) presents the strong relationships people can have with natural environments, while Violet Bond (Australia) has captured a moment of transition in the forest, between life and death, as a message that transition can also be part of the natural cycle.
Although the exhibition uses digital media, it is designed with sustainability in mind. Low-tech and immersive, the installations use locally sourced and recycled materials to minimize carbon footprint. Principles of circularity and collaboration guide reflection and commitment to reducing environmental impact, connecting the exhibition to its immediate environment. Titles are written using coffee grounds sourced from local shops, and upcycled fabrics are interred with inks derived from pigments extracted from surrounding plants.
Organized by the School of Visual and Applied Arts of the Fine Arts Institute of Cali, Colombia, a school known for its creativity and social impact, the exhibition provides a fertile ground for dialogue in a dynamic space that balances traditional and contemporary artistic exploration.
The exhibition unfolds through two concepts that mutually oppose and expand upon each other: Bio-Anamnesis and Collective Memory. What stories lie within the biodiversity that characterises our ecosystems? How do historical records and fossils inform our understanding of life’s dynamic evolution? In what ways can our exploration illuminate the impacts of climate change and human activity on these ecosystems? ‘Bio-Anamnesis’ is an invitation to remember the connections we have with non-human, living and non-living beings. How do cultural stories affect our relationship to the natural world? What traditional knowledge can we utilize to enhance our comprehension of biodiversity? How do these findings connect the past and present? ‘Collective Memory’ calls for the search for universal knowledge, ancient or unwritten, to face the current challenges facing our planet.
This exhibition features a diverse group of artists from around the world addressing the sources of biodiversity loss in their regions, such as artist Ana Aguirre (Colombia), who highlights birds as vital environmental indicators, using synthesizers to evoke a reflection on the delicate interdependence of ecosystems. Kelly Richardson (Canada), who represents extinct species in diamonds, the material that contains the most pure carbon. Artist Juan Ramirez (Ecuador) presents an organic allegory of industrial recycling and nature, strangely now totally and beautifully intertwined. Alexandra Crouwers (Belgium) creates a face-off between the fire stone, one of man's earliest tools, and the mouse, which today provides access to the technological world. Helio Santos (Mexico) presents a reflection on borders reimagined by AI, where mountains disappear and are reborn to the rhythm of extractions. Devan Harlan (USA) highlights our society's leftover consumption and lost resources. BE A STEREOTYPE aka Judd Buchanan (Brazil) presents a series of three relics of the human technological world, at once broken and cherished. Rodell Warner (Trinidad) presents the strong relationships people can have with natural environments, while Violet Bond (Australia) has captured a moment of transition in the forest, between life and death, as a message that transition can also be part of the natural cycle.
Although the exhibition uses digital media, it is designed with sustainability in mind. Low-tech and immersive, the installations use locally sourced and recycled materials to minimize carbon footprint. Principles of circularity and collaboration guide reflection and commitment to reducing environmental impact, connecting the exhibition to its immediate environment. Titles are written using coffee grounds sourced from local shops, and upcycled fabrics are interred with inks derived from pigments extracted from surrounding plants.
Organized by the School of Visual and Applied Arts of the Fine Arts Institute of Cali, Colombia, a school known for its creativity and social impact, the exhibition provides a fertile ground for dialogue in a dynamic space that balances traditional and contemporary artistic exploration.
LIST OF ARTWORKS
in alphabetical order
ALEXANDRA CROUWERS (BELGIUM)
Tools (v001)
2021
Video, seamless loop, colour, no sound, 1920x1920
In Tools (v001), Alexandra Crouwers explores the trajectory of human technology, linking ancient tools with modern digital ones to question our evolving relationship with creation and control. This continuous video loop reflects the continuity between our earliest and latest inventions, suggesting that while our tools have transformed, the impulse behind them remains remarkably similar.
By weaving technological images with natural references, Crouwers creates a meditation on the ecological crisis, where technology and nature merge, intersect and sometimes clash. Tools (v001) encourages viewers to reflect on how innovation has shaped our world, and to imagine how our current digital tools might one day be seen as artifacts of a bygone era, echoing humanity's complex creative legacy.
ANA AGUIRRE (COLOMBIA)
Simbiosis
2024
HD video, sound, 14:28
Music by Gregorio Merchán
A blend of analog and digital mediums, at the heart of Simbiosis are the calls of endangered birds from northern Colombia and Venezuela with sounds generated through analog synthesis, driving a reactive videosynthesis layer. Shifting visuals respond to the soundscapes, embodying the delicate interdependence of life. The background, a cyanotype, further connects the work to nature’s processes, offering a tactile contrast to the ephemeral digital elements. Through this sensory-rich environment, the piece draws attention to the role of birds as environmental indicators and offers a meditative exploration of the responsibility we all share in biodiversity conservation. Birds, whose migratory patterns transcend borders, become symbols of connection and resilience, offering insight into how ecosystems are changing due to human impact. For local communities, changes in bird populations reflect shifts in the natural world, serving as vital indicators of climate change and environmental health.
In collaboration with musician Gregorio Merchán, Simbiosis embodies the dynamic, ever-evolving relationship between the organic and the electronic, between the lasting and tactile and the ephemeral and fragile.
BE A STEREOTYPE (BRAZIL / CANADA)
Reported as Unsafe, 2024, 3D animation, 2048x2048, sound, 0:08
Silicon Age, 2023, 3D animation, 1080x1080, sound, 0:12
Stranded, 2023, 3D animation, 1080x1080, sound, 0:06
In this trilogy of digital GIFs, Be A Stereotype masterfully uses movement, irony, and decay to question our fascination with machines that outlive their purpose, confronting the eerie persistence of our machines and the contradictions of their supposed "progress. Each GIF serves as a reminder of the symbiosis—and the detachment—between humanity and its creations, prompting us to reflect on the digital legacy we are leaving behind.
In Reported as Unsafe, technology meets the unknown as human-made systems yield to a celestial anomaly, evoking an uneasy, mesmerizing union. Stranded reveals a once-bright relic now fractured and worn, its faded colors embodying technology’s fleeting allure. Finally, Silicon Age depicts machinery as both idol and artifact, a symbol of power and permanence even as it decays, reflecting our enduring yet impermanent digital age.
DEVAN HARLAN (UNITED STATES)
Afterlives (Vignette Series)
2024
Moving image, 1080x1920, sound, 1:48
Afterlives (Vignette Series) reflects Devan Harlan’s exploration of global resource extraction and the myth of limitless consumption. Through evocative moving images and sound, the work reveals the fraught afterlives of the non-human world—ecosystems, minerals, and landscapes—left scarred by human technology. Harlan's piece confronts viewers with the enduring entanglement between nature and industry, making visible the hidden costs and the complex legacies left in the wake of human consumption. The work serves as both a meditation and a warning, urging us to consider the environmental toll woven into the fabric of our technological age.
HELIODORO SANTOS (MEXICO)
La invención de la realidad por las máquinas {Especulación <> Invención}
2022
Video, MP4, color, no sound, 33
Speculation and invention border on the problem of reality: seeking to go beyond the present, visions of a future technology are announced in images that captivate our gaze and provoke life. In his artwork “La invención de la realidad por las máquinas {Especulación <> Invención}”, Heliodoro Santos criticizes the boundaries and limits of reality by challenging artificial visions. In this landscape, data turns into mountains, which turn into data. Which comes first? How do machines understand and see what makes our reality today?
Piece by Helio Santos for NFTecnológica in a collaborative contract. Images of landscapes generated with artificial intelligence and computer vision algorithms. Third and final NFT linking the essays “Powers of a Coming Technology” II & III.
JUAN RAMÍREZ (ECUADOR)
mis cadenas #2
2021
GLB sculpture
Organic and melancholic, built over time. This piece combines elements of industrial recycling and nature in a composition that intertwines metals, chains, and organic forms. Inspired by the connection between the artificial and the natural, each metallic piece and chain integrates into an abstract network, creating a complex and interwoven structure. The presence of a flower emerges as a symbol of life and resilience, adding a touch of hope and color that contrasts with the cold textures of metal. This composition explores the concept of transformation and re-signification, where each recycled element finds a new purpose, representing the union between strength and fragility.
KELLY RICHARDSON (CANADA)
Origin Stories
2023
4K video, seamless loop, sound
Origin Stories carries on ideas explored in previous works by Richardson where extinct species have taken the form of crystals. It is as though complex life has been transformed into pure carbon – that is, into the most concentrated forms of pure carbon in the natural world – diamonds. Set adrift amongst the stars, the crystalline debris field reveals the majesty and infinite wealth of our home within context of the known universe – where as far as humanity has confirmed, Earth is the only known planet to foster life. With monumental efforts to discover life elsewhere, how differently would we value any of the species which we allowed to go extinct today, if they were discovered on another planet? Ultimately, the work asks us to consider what it is that we truly value.
Origin Stories was inspired by Richardson’s involvement in the Awi’nakola Foundation, a collective working towards primary, old-growth forest preservation and restoration in BC. The idea for the work builds on the many conversations with members – including world renowned forest ecologyst Dr. Suzanne Simard – about complex life forms which took 4 billion years to evolve and which we are losing at a terrifying rate within the current extinction crisis, fuelled by the continual logging of some of the last primary forests on the planet in BC. Kwakwaka’wakw origin stories generously shared by Ma’amtagila Hereditary Chief Makwala – Rande Cook provided an unexpected lens to this work and while these remain sacred, the title is a direct nod to this, along with the many theories, stories and ways of knowing how complex life evolved and by extension, how incredibly fortunate we were to be a part of it.
RODELL WARNER (TRINIDAD)
Augmented Archive 001, 2020, colorized, single-channel video, sound
Augmented Archive 03, 2019, single-channel video, no sound
Augmented Archive 21, 2020, colorized, single-channel video, sound
Augmented Archive is a mash-up of digital animation, sound, and found photos. Artist Rodell Warner plays with the apparent narratives presented in the photos, to engage in, and invite, contemplation of the lives and histories of the people and places in the photos. He considers doing this work as an intervention in the representation of these people and places, one that makes imaginative, alternative evaluations more possible. It is also a technological intervention. I’m interested in the ways in which available and emergent technologies shape the creation and existences, proliferation, and propagation of these images, both in their original forms and when sampled or edited or remixed, and how those technologies leave their marks on the images.
The first eight videos in this series (Augmented Archive 001-008) are all based on images shot in the Caribbean near the middle of the 20th Century.
VIOLET BOND (AUSTRALIA)
Dust and ash
2024
Photography, 5021 × 2824
In Dust and Ash, Violet Bond captures a poignant scene of resilience and transformation within a landscape marked by fire. The photograph reveals trees that appear upright and proud, yet they are, in truth, lifeless shadows of their former selves, lying amidst the ash-strewn earth. Bond’s composition holds a quiet reverence for these giants, whose presence lingers even as they fade. Soon, new saplings will emerge with the coming rains, growing in the shadow of these silent witnesses.
To highlight the lingering warmth of a still-burning tree stump, Violet Bond enhances a natural circle of red dirt in the foreground, adding focus and depth to this symbol of fire’s dual role as both destroyer and regenerator. Created on Dalabon country in the Northern Territory, Australia, Dust and Ash pays tribute to the Traditional Owners of the land and their Elders, past, present, and emerging, honoring both the timeless resilience of the landscape and the cultural guardianship that sustains it.
in alphabetical order
ALEXANDRA CROUWERS (BELGIUM)
Tools (v001)
2021
Video, seamless loop, colour, no sound, 1920x1920
In Tools (v001), Alexandra Crouwers explores the trajectory of human technology, linking ancient tools with modern digital ones to question our evolving relationship with creation and control. This continuous video loop reflects the continuity between our earliest and latest inventions, suggesting that while our tools have transformed, the impulse behind them remains remarkably similar.
By weaving technological images with natural references, Crouwers creates a meditation on the ecological crisis, where technology and nature merge, intersect and sometimes clash. Tools (v001) encourages viewers to reflect on how innovation has shaped our world, and to imagine how our current digital tools might one day be seen as artifacts of a bygone era, echoing humanity's complex creative legacy.
ANA AGUIRRE (COLOMBIA)
Simbiosis
2024
HD video, sound, 14:28
Music by Gregorio Merchán
A blend of analog and digital mediums, at the heart of Simbiosis are the calls of endangered birds from northern Colombia and Venezuela with sounds generated through analog synthesis, driving a reactive videosynthesis layer. Shifting visuals respond to the soundscapes, embodying the delicate interdependence of life. The background, a cyanotype, further connects the work to nature’s processes, offering a tactile contrast to the ephemeral digital elements. Through this sensory-rich environment, the piece draws attention to the role of birds as environmental indicators and offers a meditative exploration of the responsibility we all share in biodiversity conservation. Birds, whose migratory patterns transcend borders, become symbols of connection and resilience, offering insight into how ecosystems are changing due to human impact. For local communities, changes in bird populations reflect shifts in the natural world, serving as vital indicators of climate change and environmental health.
In collaboration with musician Gregorio Merchán, Simbiosis embodies the dynamic, ever-evolving relationship between the organic and the electronic, between the lasting and tactile and the ephemeral and fragile.
BE A STEREOTYPE (BRAZIL / CANADA)
Reported as Unsafe, 2024, 3D animation, 2048x2048, sound, 0:08
Silicon Age, 2023, 3D animation, 1080x1080, sound, 0:12
Stranded, 2023, 3D animation, 1080x1080, sound, 0:06
In this trilogy of digital GIFs, Be A Stereotype masterfully uses movement, irony, and decay to question our fascination with machines that outlive their purpose, confronting the eerie persistence of our machines and the contradictions of their supposed "progress. Each GIF serves as a reminder of the symbiosis—and the detachment—between humanity and its creations, prompting us to reflect on the digital legacy we are leaving behind.
In Reported as Unsafe, technology meets the unknown as human-made systems yield to a celestial anomaly, evoking an uneasy, mesmerizing union. Stranded reveals a once-bright relic now fractured and worn, its faded colors embodying technology’s fleeting allure. Finally, Silicon Age depicts machinery as both idol and artifact, a symbol of power and permanence even as it decays, reflecting our enduring yet impermanent digital age.
DEVAN HARLAN (UNITED STATES)
Afterlives (Vignette Series)
2024
Moving image, 1080x1920, sound, 1:48
Afterlives (Vignette Series) reflects Devan Harlan’s exploration of global resource extraction and the myth of limitless consumption. Through evocative moving images and sound, the work reveals the fraught afterlives of the non-human world—ecosystems, minerals, and landscapes—left scarred by human technology. Harlan's piece confronts viewers with the enduring entanglement between nature and industry, making visible the hidden costs and the complex legacies left in the wake of human consumption. The work serves as both a meditation and a warning, urging us to consider the environmental toll woven into the fabric of our technological age.
HELIODORO SANTOS (MEXICO)
La invención de la realidad por las máquinas {Especulación <> Invención}
2022
Video, MP4, color, no sound, 33
Speculation and invention border on the problem of reality: seeking to go beyond the present, visions of a future technology are announced in images that captivate our gaze and provoke life. In his artwork “La invención de la realidad por las máquinas {Especulación <> Invención}”, Heliodoro Santos criticizes the boundaries and limits of reality by challenging artificial visions. In this landscape, data turns into mountains, which turn into data. Which comes first? How do machines understand and see what makes our reality today?
Piece by Helio Santos for NFTecnológica in a collaborative contract. Images of landscapes generated with artificial intelligence and computer vision algorithms. Third and final NFT linking the essays “Powers of a Coming Technology” II & III.
JUAN RAMÍREZ (ECUADOR)
mis cadenas #2
2021
GLB sculpture
Organic and melancholic, built over time. This piece combines elements of industrial recycling and nature in a composition that intertwines metals, chains, and organic forms. Inspired by the connection between the artificial and the natural, each metallic piece and chain integrates into an abstract network, creating a complex and interwoven structure. The presence of a flower emerges as a symbol of life and resilience, adding a touch of hope and color that contrasts with the cold textures of metal. This composition explores the concept of transformation and re-signification, where each recycled element finds a new purpose, representing the union between strength and fragility.
KELLY RICHARDSON (CANADA)
Origin Stories
2023
4K video, seamless loop, sound
Origin Stories carries on ideas explored in previous works by Richardson where extinct species have taken the form of crystals. It is as though complex life has been transformed into pure carbon – that is, into the most concentrated forms of pure carbon in the natural world – diamonds. Set adrift amongst the stars, the crystalline debris field reveals the majesty and infinite wealth of our home within context of the known universe – where as far as humanity has confirmed, Earth is the only known planet to foster life. With monumental efforts to discover life elsewhere, how differently would we value any of the species which we allowed to go extinct today, if they were discovered on another planet? Ultimately, the work asks us to consider what it is that we truly value.
Origin Stories was inspired by Richardson’s involvement in the Awi’nakola Foundation, a collective working towards primary, old-growth forest preservation and restoration in BC. The idea for the work builds on the many conversations with members – including world renowned forest ecologyst Dr. Suzanne Simard – about complex life forms which took 4 billion years to evolve and which we are losing at a terrifying rate within the current extinction crisis, fuelled by the continual logging of some of the last primary forests on the planet in BC. Kwakwaka’wakw origin stories generously shared by Ma’amtagila Hereditary Chief Makwala – Rande Cook provided an unexpected lens to this work and while these remain sacred, the title is a direct nod to this, along with the many theories, stories and ways of knowing how complex life evolved and by extension, how incredibly fortunate we were to be a part of it.
RODELL WARNER (TRINIDAD)
Augmented Archive 001, 2020, colorized, single-channel video, sound
Augmented Archive 03, 2019, single-channel video, no sound
Augmented Archive 21, 2020, colorized, single-channel video, sound
Augmented Archive is a mash-up of digital animation, sound, and found photos. Artist Rodell Warner plays with the apparent narratives presented in the photos, to engage in, and invite, contemplation of the lives and histories of the people and places in the photos. He considers doing this work as an intervention in the representation of these people and places, one that makes imaginative, alternative evaluations more possible. It is also a technological intervention. I’m interested in the ways in which available and emergent technologies shape the creation and existences, proliferation, and propagation of these images, both in their original forms and when sampled or edited or remixed, and how those technologies leave their marks on the images.
The first eight videos in this series (Augmented Archive 001-008) are all based on images shot in the Caribbean near the middle of the 20th Century.
VIOLET BOND (AUSTRALIA)
Dust and ash
2024
Photography, 5021 × 2824
In Dust and Ash, Violet Bond captures a poignant scene of resilience and transformation within a landscape marked by fire. The photograph reveals trees that appear upright and proud, yet they are, in truth, lifeless shadows of their former selves, lying amidst the ash-strewn earth. Bond’s composition holds a quiet reverence for these giants, whose presence lingers even as they fade. Soon, new saplings will emerge with the coming rains, growing in the shadow of these silent witnesses.
To highlight the lingering warmth of a still-burning tree stump, Violet Bond enhances a natural circle of red dirt in the foreground, adding focus and depth to this symbol of fire’s dual role as both destroyer and regenerator. Created on Dalabon country in the Northern Territory, Australia, Dust and Ash pays tribute to the Traditional Owners of the land and their Elders, past, present, and emerging, honoring both the timeless resilience of the landscape and the cultural guardianship that sustains it.