Sarah Rara: Pack Ice. [Courtesy]
Part of the ongoing Fulcrum Festival 2024, the show features immersive 4K video projections and a surround sound system showcasing life on the periphery of the Arctic. The exhibition runs from Oct. 16 through Nov. 22 at PCC’s V Gallery, 1570 E. Colorado Blvd. in Pasadena, offering a unique lens on climate change through artistic expression.
“It brings these kind of remote experiences, things that people will not be able to experience easily or very directly into the gallery,” Jeffrey B. Cain, faculty member and gallery director at PCC, said.
He added that the installation allows visitors to contemplate the realities of climate change and “the idea of being in a more simple and less media saturated environment.”
The exhibition features two main 4K video projections on a 20-foot screen, accompanied by what organizers describe as a “lush soundscape.” Supplementary photographs and educational materials provide context for Sarah Rara’s Arctic expedition in August 2024.
Rara, an Assistant Professor of Moving Image at Williams College, gathered materials for the works during an expedition through the sea ice rotating around the geographic north pole. Her multidisciplinary practice explores the position of witness within fragile systems, and her work has been presented at prestigious institutions including the Whitney Museum of American Art and the Centre Georges Pompidou.
The exhibition, sponsored by Fulcrum Arts, is part of the Fulcrum Festival 2024, themed “Waves Upon Waves,” which celebrates the intersection of art and science. PCC plays a key role as one of California’s premier presenters of art-science collaborations.
Rara’s recent work, as stated in her artist statement, “catalogs the sonic, material, and affective space of ocean waters, using video and sound to build a sensory connection with wild ecologies.” The exhibition explores not only the Arctic but also connected ecologies within the International Territory of Svalbard.
Cain highlighted the power of art in addressing climate change.
“If there’s anything that art does is it turns this reality, it turns this fact, turns this research into something that is visible and fixed,” he said. “People are not inspired to take action on anything until they internalize what’s at stake and really integrate the realities of the world into their daily lives.”
The “Sarah Rara: Drifts” exhibition aims to provoke thought and inspire action on critical environmental issues by making remote Arctic changes tangible to a wider audience. It represents a significant contribution to climate change awareness through innovative artistic expression.
For more information, visit https://www.fulcrumarts.org/drifts/.
