Earth

The history of our Earth is written in the rocks and sediment in the landscape and have imbued human cultures for centuries.

From distinctive white Istrian stone and pink marble to ancient organisms, plants and invertebrates preserved as fossils in sedimentary rock.  Rocks are the Earth’s timekeepers. Their history is the witness and record of all activities on our planet. With Earth time stretching back billions of years, and one grain of sand with which we use to make glass or buildings having taken up to millions of years to form starting from erosion from the Alps, is what we are seeing with climate change partly a clash of experiencing and understanding time?

How can we make a re-connection with our planet, including  with its geology and vital sediments, such as dust and sand?  And what can we learn from the fossil record, the evolution and adaptation of species, and the ancient beings which once lived?

Earth is the final iteration of a three-part residency called Earth Water Sky for international artists supported by Fondation Didier et Martine Primat and curated by Ariane Koek. The residency provides artists interested in the environment and the latest in cutting-edge environmental science an opportunity to expand their artistic practice by interfacing with scientific expertise. The winner of the first residency Water in 2019 was the British artist Emma Critchley, and the winner of Sky in 2020 was the American artist Haseeb Ahmed.

The final instalment of the program, Earth will be hosted by Science Gallery Berlin in 2023, with a specific focus on TU Berlin's world-renown mineralogical collection. The collection was established in 1770 by Friedrich II., and today contains over 168,000 pieces that include rocks, crystals, fossils, and rare metals as well as other rare historical supporting documents. The program will include a two-month research and development residency, followed by commissioning, production and then exhibiting of the final artworks resulting from the research residency. The selected artist will also be able to visit Venice and meet with Dr Elena Ghezzo and Professor Emanuela Molinaroli based at Ca’Foscari.

We expect to announce the incoming Earth artist-in-residence at the end of November 2022.

Earth Artist Residency Program
Curator: Arianne Koek
Partner: Fondation Didier et Martine Primat
Researchers: Dr. Johannes Giebel (TU Berlin), Prof. Emanuela Molinaroli (Ca' Foscari), Dr. Elena Grezzo (Ca' Foscari)