General Ecology: Back To Earth - by Serpentine Gallery

General Ecology manifests through publications, exhibitions, study programmes, radio, symposia and live events as well as structural and systemic initiatives, bringing together practitioners from the fields of art, design, science, literature and anthropology, among many others. Quote from Serpentine Gallery website https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/general-ecology/

More about General Ecology on Serpentine Gallery https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/general-ecology/

General Ecology is an ongoing researching project about complexity, more-than-humanism, climate justice and environmental balance (https://www.serpentinegalleries.org/general-ecology/)

Tabita Rezaire/AMAKABA and Yussef Agbo-Ola/OLANIYI STUDIO, IKUM: Drying Temple, 2022. Dyed cotton tensiles, reclaimed pine frame, medicinal plants, recycled cellulose cable ties. Back to Earth exhibition at Serpentine North (22 June – 18 September). Installation view. © readsreads.info. Courtesy Serpentine.

Various artists, Posters for Back to Earth. Digital print on recycled paper. Back to Earth exhibition at Serpentine North (22 June – 18 September). Installation view. © readsreads.info. Courtesy Serpentine.

With the on going research of Serpentine Gallery on General Ecology project, Back To Earth (2022) is part of the exhibition extended from the project which invites artistic practice from different practice to response to the climate change issue in different perspectives. Starting from the entrance of the gallery (north part of Serpentine Gallery) introducing posters from different artist, in response to the issue, a rather visual and linguistic value in-between the practice were found through my understanding.

Brian Eno, Making gardens out of silence in the uncanny valley, 2022. Sound installation. Back to Earth exhibition at Serpentine North (22 June – 18 September). Installation view. © readsreads.info. Courtesy Serpentine.

Two pieces of works from “Tabita Rezaire/AMAKABA and Yussef Agbo-Ola/OLANIYI STUDIO” and Brian Eno I found the most intriguing to me. They are both using the space with a brick walls, tunnel-like spaces in the middle of the gallery. The work by Tabita Rezaire/AMAKABA and Yussef Agbo-Ola/OLANIYI STUDIO , Drying Temple, 2022, gave me the sense of healing and followed by the trace of human touch from the language carried by the material of using dyed cotton tensiles, at the same time the structure hold up the space with a harmony tension softly placed in between the brick wall tunnel. The space in the tunnel is already giving me a sense of direction, and being in the tunnel is feel like I am in a process of movement, at a midpoint of nowhere. At the same time, there are a lot of dry herbs attached to the knitted web on both sides. The fertility and subtle smell from the dry plant are making up the space a peaceful and immersive space to think about the connection with humans, non-human beings, plants, and furthermore the planet.

Position next to the installation Drying Temple, 2022, there is another dark entrance towards the immersive space constructed by Brian Eno. The work Making gardens out of silence in the uncanny valley, 2022, is a sound installation.

Walking inside a small tunnel, I am in a very dark space, I feel like I'm releasing lights for myself, digesting the darkness within the space.

Within a few seconds while I'm adopting my sight from natural light from outside into the space with darkness, realizing the sound from the installation, a harmonious but abnormal vibration was combined and constructing the whole space. I feel calm and unstable at the same time, I feel like I'm out of space but I'm holding my peace out of what I can recognize as enough space but somewhere surrounded by the sense of a harmonious abnormal vibration was combined and constructing the whole space. I feel calm and unstable at the same time I feel like I'm out of space but I'm holding my peace out of what I can recognize in space but somewhere surrounded by a sense of familiarity.

The very low frequency of sound takes me to the environment of exercise of meditation, also a personal intimate sense of grounding a very physical touch and psychiatric effects set my body is rooted through the ground to have the Earth.