The Current II: The Waves of the Oh!s and the Ah!s
Convening #1 led by Chus Martinez
September 28 –
September 29, 2018
Ocean Space, Venice
Donna Kukama, The Ways We Sing and Move to Become Ocean, the Ways We Remember to Be Ocean, 2018. Performance. TBA21–Academy. The Current II. Photo: Enrico Fiorese
Chus Martínez, The Ohhhs! The Ways to Complain, Part I. A manifesto. Photo: Enrico Fiorese
Marah Hardt, Sex and the Seas or How We Are Not Able to Mate with the Sea, a Pity. Lecture. Photo: Enrico Fiorese
Christina Tony and Reverend Rogers, Everybody Got a Little Voice to Address the Seas. Lecture. Photo: Enrico Fiorese
Diva Amon, Merging With The Depths! Lecture. Photo: Enrico Fiorese
Chus Martínez, Convening #1, The Waves of the Oh!s and the Ah!s. Photo: Enrico Fiorese
Julieta Aranda, Chus Martínez, Ingo Niermann, Three Proposals of Understanding All We Need to Change in Us to Become the Sea. Lecture. Photo: Enrico Fiorese
Claudia Comte, The Day that Wood and Matter Wanted to Become Salt Water, 2018. Performance with music by Egon Elliut and dance by Cecilia Bengolea. Photo: Enrico Fiorese
Mathilde Rosier, Summer School in preparation to the Covening, The Waves of the Oh!s and the Ah!s. Foto: Enrico Fiorese
Summer School in preparation to the Covening, The Waves of the Oh!s and the Ah!s. Foto: Enrico Fiorese
Summer School in preparation to the Covening, The Waves of the Oh!s and the Ah!s. Foto: Enrico Fiorese
Joan Jonas. Summer School in preparation to the Covening, The Waves of the Oh!s and the Ah!s. Foto: Enrico Fiorese
Past
TBA21–Academy
The Waves of the Oh!s and the Ah!s
Think about the Ocean as you think about a relationship. We know that humans are bad at being faithful, infidelity has a tenacity that faithfulness can only envy. If you ask about Nature or the Ocean, everyone would be ready to declare their love, or our dependency, and yet we cheat on the seas, on water, on resources, on the images, on life. Ocean Adultery has many forms, and historically it has been—as Anthony Burgess describes it—“the most creative of sins.” We deplore the many times and many ways we were unfaithful to the Ocean, and yet prohibition only fuels the eagerness with which we consume our forbidden apples—or better said, our forbidden waters, fish, corals, sea beds, and human lives…. We need to face this: If we keep failing to meet our own standards, the solution is simply to try harder. This exercise cannot happen without thinking through a question: Who is the injured party? One would say the Ocean, but would that be to demonize our actions without pausing to explore our motives? Without learning how to weather its occurrence?
Inspired by the history of fear, power abuse and its relation to the elements rather than only to the humans, and drawing on the thinking of many poets, writers, and philosophers about the importance of the complaint to raise awareness, the first day of our convening will be structured as a lament: a collective performance where activists and artists give body, form, and voice to what we lament. Lamenting the Ocean, but also current forms of inequality, considering how gender and racial inequality are in complete entanglement here.
On the second day, the lamenting voice will raise an Awe. Admiration, reverence, a series of acts, performances, and lectures on the issues we admire, on all in life that bring us to this strange space of generosity, since to admire means to go out of oneself.
—Chus Martínez
Think about the Ocean as you think about a relationship. We know that humans are bad at being faithful, infidelity has a tenacity that faithfulness can only envy. If you ask about Nature or the Ocean, everyone would be ready to declare their love, or our dependency, and yet we cheat on the seas, on water, on resources, on the images, on life. Ocean Adultery has many forms, and historically it has been—as Anthony Burgess describes it—“the most creative of sins.” We deplore the many times and many ways we were unfaithful to the Ocean, and yet prohibition only fuels the eagerness with which we consume our forbidden apples—or better said, our forbidden waters, fish, corals, sea beds, and human lives…. We need to face this: If we keep failing to meet our own standards, the solution is simply to try harder. This exercise cannot happen without thinking through a question: Who is the injured party? One would say the Ocean, but would that be to demonize our actions without pausing to explore our motives? Without learning how to weather its occurrence?
Inspired by the history of fear, power abuse and its relation to the elements rather than only to the humans, and drawing on the thinking of many poets, writers, and philosophers about the importance of the complaint to raise awareness, the first day of our convening will be structured as a lament: a collective performance where activists and artists give body, form, and voice to what we lament. Lamenting the Ocean, but also current forms of inequality, considering how gender and racial inequality are in complete entanglement here.
On the second day, the lamenting voice will raise an Awe. Admiration, reverence, a series of acts, performances, and lectures on the issues we admire, on all in life that bring us to this strange space of generosity, since to admire means to go out of oneself.
—Chus Martínez
As part of our commitment to regenerative practices, we have partnered with UreCulture to undertake a series of in-depth case studies examining the ecological and social impact of our collections and the commissioning processes behind them—both regenerative and challenging. These findings are consolidated in the Ecological and Social Impact of the TBA21 Collection reports.
This initiative represents our dedication to transparency and self-reflection, as we seek to honestly evaluate our practices. The results highlight the positive contributions of these artistic endeavors while shedding light on areas for improvement to further reduce our ecological footprint.
The inaugural study focuses on the life cycle of Claudia Comte’s artworks within the TBA21 Collection. Claudia’s collaboration with TBA21 began in 2018 during the TBA21–Academy expedition to New Zealand, The Current II, led by Chus Martínez. This journey culminated in the exhibitions After Nature in Madrid and Underwater Cacti in Jamaica, and included a residency at the Alligator Head Foundation in Jamaica. This ocean conservation hub, a scientific partner of TBA21–Academy, deeply influenced Claudia’s Underwater Cacti project, inspired by the foundation’s coral regeneration program.
Comte’s artistic practice delves into the history and memory of biomorphic forms, blending traditional handcrafting techniques with industrial machine processes. Her installations center around monumental wall paintings and sculptural series that draw inspiration from organic patterns and morphologies such as waves, sonar, rock strata, cacti, and coral reefs.
Case Study: Claudia Comte
This initiative represents our dedication to transparency and self-reflection, as we seek to honestly evaluate our practices. The results highlight the positive contributions of these artistic endeavors while shedding light on areas for improvement to further reduce our ecological footprint.
The inaugural study focuses on the life cycle of Claudia Comte’s artworks within the TBA21 Collection. Claudia’s collaboration with TBA21 began in 2018 during the TBA21–Academy expedition to New Zealand, The Current II, led by Chus Martínez. This journey culminated in the exhibitions After Nature in Madrid and Underwater Cacti in Jamaica, and included a residency at the Alligator Head Foundation in Jamaica. This ocean conservation hub, a scientific partner of TBA21–Academy, deeply influenced Claudia’s Underwater Cacti project, inspired by the foundation’s coral regeneration program.
Comte’s artistic practice delves into the history and memory of biomorphic forms, blending traditional handcrafting techniques with industrial machine processes. Her installations center around monumental wall paintings and sculptural series that draw inspiration from organic patterns and morphologies such as waves, sonar, rock strata, cacti, and coral reefs.
Case Study: Claudia Comte